schoolsbycounty

Marion County Schools & Education

School Score

37/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

89.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

89.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 84.2%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,692

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,165

School Score

37/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 33/100

State Score Position

#18

of 46 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Marion County

Measured School Summary

Marion County faces educational challenges with a school score of 37/100 and a graduation rate of 89.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,692 per pupil, Marion County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 13% above the South Carolina average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 7% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Marion County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

10 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

37/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #18 of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data.

Completion

89.0%

4.8 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,692

$473 below the state average

School coverage

10

1 district represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Marion County has 10 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

Parent decision brief

What Marion County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

Marion 10 carries most of the listed public-school system, with 10 of 10 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#18

of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 4 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Marion 10

Elementary to high school visible

3,875 students

Elementary 5Middle 2High 3Other 0

10 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Marion 10 is the largest listed district slice, with 10 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Marion County?

Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Marion County Graduation Rate Surpasses State and National Averages

Education data brief for Marion County, South Carolina.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:Graduation rate

Marion County reports a public high school graduation rate of 89.0%, which is higher than the South Carolina state average of 84.2% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. This figure stands out in a county where per-pupil expenditure is recorded at $6,692, which is approximately half of the national average of $13,000 and lower than the state spending level of $7,165. The county's education system is consolidated into a single school district, Marion 10, which serves 3,875 students across 10 schools. The largest facility in the district is Marion High, which enrolls 628 students in grades 9 through 12. Most schools in the county are situated in rural or town locales, with no charter schools operating within the district. The composite school score for the county is 37.3, compared to a state average of 33.4. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

10

in Marion County

Reported Enrollment

3,875

10 schools reporting

School Districts

1

district

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary5
Middle2
High3
Other0

1 School District in Marion County

Marion 10

Guide
10 schools
3,875 students enrolled
Open district guide

10 Public Schools in Marion County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Level

Showing 10 of 10 matching schools

Marion High

Marion 10

Marion, 29571 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High628 students

Mullins High

Marion 10

Mullins, 29574 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High557 students

Easterling Primary

Marion 10

Marion, 29571 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–2Primary477 students

Johnakin Middle

Marion 10

Marion, 29571 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle456 students

Marion Intermediate

Marion 10

Marion, 29571 / Rural: Fringe

Record3–5Primary417 students

North Mullins Primary

Marion 10

Mullins, 29574 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–2Primary387 students

Palmetto Middle

Marion 10

Mullins, 29574 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle334 students

Creek Bridge STEM Academy

Marion 10

Marion, 29571 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–8Primary326 students

McCormick Elementary

Marion 10

Mullins, 29574 / Rural: Fringe

Record3–5Primary293 students

Academy for Careers and Technology

Marion 10

Mullins, 29574 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12Vocational0 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,692

State avg $7,165

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Marion County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which South Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?
Lee County (92.0%), Darlington County (91.1%), and Dorchester County (91.1%) currently lead South Carolina among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.
What is per-pupil spending like in South Carolina?
Across South Carolina counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,165. The highest current county values are Fairfield County ($11,084), Richland County ($10,146), and McCormick County ($8,932). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.
How should I read the school score in Marion County?
Marion County has a school score of 37/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.
What is the graduation rate in Marion County?
The high school graduation rate in Marion County is 89.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.
How much does Marion County spend per student?
Marion County spends $6,692 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.