Union County Schools & Education
Union County, South Carolina
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
17/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
77.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
77.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 84.2%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,513
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,165
School Score
17/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 33/100
State Score Position
#40
of 46 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Union County
Measured School Summary
Union County faces educational challenges with a school score of 17/100 and a graduation rate of 77.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $6,513 per pupil, Union County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 50% below the South Carolina average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 7.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 9% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Union 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
7 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
17/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #40 of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data.
Completion
77.0%
7.2 pts below the state average
Funding context
$6,513
$652 below the state average
School coverage
7
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
Union County has 7 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.
What Union 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.
Small-system county
Union County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.
State position
#40
of 46 South Carolina counties with school score data. The county score is 16 points below 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.
Union 01
Elementary to high school visible
3,788 students
7 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Union 01 is the largest listed district slice, with 7 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 Union 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
Union County Graduation Rate Below State and National Averages
Education data brief for Union County, South Carolina.
Union County reports a graduation rate of 77.0%, a figure 10 percentage points lower than the national average of 87.0% and below the South Carolina state average of 84.2%. Education in the county is managed by a single district, Union 01, which enrolls all 3,788 public school students across seven schools. Union County High is the largest facility, serving 1,069 students. The directory consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools, with no charter presence. Schools are divided between four town and three rural locales. Financial data shows per-pupil expenditure at $6,513, which is below the state average of $7,165 and about half of the national average of $13,000. The county’s composite school score is 16.6, compared to a state average of 33.4 and a national median of 50.0. Average school size in the county is 631 students. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
7
in Union County
Reported Enrollment
3,788
7 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Union County
7 Public Schools in Union County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 7 of 7 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County High | Profile | Union 01 | Union, 29379Town: Distant | 9–12 | High | 1,069 |
| Sims Middle | Record | Union 01 | Union, 29379Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 672 |
| Jonesville Elementary Middle | Record | Union 01 | Jonesville, 29353Rural: Distant | PK–8 | Primary | 603 |
| Monarch Elementary | Record | Union 01 | Union, 29379Rural: Fringe | PK–5 | Primary | 497 |
| Buffalo Elementary | Record | Union 01 | Buffalo, 29321Town: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 491 |
| Foster Park Elementary | Record | Union 01 | Union, 29379Town: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 456 |
| Union County Career and Technology Center | Record | Union 01 | Union, 29379Town: Distant | 9–12 | Vocational | 0 |
Union County High
Union 01
Union, 29379 / Town: Distant
Union County Career and Technology Center
Union 01
Union, 29379 / Town: Distant
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,513
State avg $7,165
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Union County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which South Carolina counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in South Carolina?
How should I read the school score in Union County?
What is the graduation rate in Union County?
How much does Union County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
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.