The school question drives more relocation decisions than any other variable for families. The short version on the Grand Strand: Horry County Schools is South Carolina's third-largest district, performs above the state average across the headline metrics, and offers strong neighborhood high schools, two IB programs, a top-ranked magnet, and growing choice options.
Georgetown County School District covers the southern end of the Strand — Pawleys Island, Litchfield, Murrells Inlet (Georgetown County portion) — with Waccamaw High the anchor school.
This page covers the headline data, the top high schools, the choice and charter options, and how to figure out which school zone a specific neighborhood falls into. Always confirm attendance zones at the actual address before you make an offer — redistricting happens in fast-growing parts of the county.
Horry County Schools (HCS) serves more than 47,000 students across 58 schools. It's the third-largest school district in South Carolina by enrollment and one of the fastest-growing. The 2024-25 SC Report Card shows:
Graduation rate: 89.6% (state average 86.7%)
Average SAT composite: 1033 (state average 1009)
College- or career-ready: 82.5%
HCS runs full-day 4K and 5K in most elementaries, offers AP and dual-credit at every high school, and runs two International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.
The district's largest comprehensive high school — roughly 3,000 students. Strong AP participation (around 38%). Carolina Forest HS draws from the master-planned Carolina Forest community, which has been one of the strongest family-buyer submarkets on the Strand for over a decade. Neighborhoods feeding Carolina Forest HS include Avalon, Berkshire Forest, The Bluffs on the Waterway, Plantation Lakes, Waterford Plantation, Walker's Woods, and Wild Wing Plantation. Browse Carolina Forest real estate.
Located off Hwy 707 between Socastee and Murrells Inlet. AP participation around 37%. The St. James cluster includes St. James Elementary, St. James Intermediate, and St. James Middle, plus Seaside and Burgess Elementaries. Neighborhoods feeding St. James HS include parts of Murrells Inlet (Horry County side), Prince Creek, and Burgess. Browse Murrells Inlet real estate.
One of two HCS high schools with an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Located in the Socastee area south of Myrtle Beach. Feeders include parts of Surfside Beach, Forestbrook, and the Socastee corridor. Forestbrook Elementary and Forestbrook Middle feed Socastee. Browse Surfside Beach real estate.
The second HCS school offering IB, located in the inland Aynor community. Smaller and more rural in character. Strong for families looking for acreage, land, and a less-trafficked corridor. Browse Aynor real estate.
Serves the North Myrtle Beach area, including Barefoot Resort, Tidewater Plantation, and most of the Cherry Grove / Ocean Drive / Crescent Beach / Tilghman areas. Browse North Myrtle Beach real estate.
Serves the city of Conway and surrounding areas. Strong tradition, large enrollment. Browse Conway real estate.
The HCS Scholars Academy — a public magnet for academically gifted students — scored 99.7/100 on the 2024-25 SC Report Card, the highest score of all 1,309 schools in South Carolina. Admission is competitive and based on test scores and academic record. Students from anywhere in HCS attendance can apply.
For families with strong students, this is a genuinely standout option that doesn't require private-school tuition.
Tuition-free public charter high school located at Market Common in Myrtle Beach. Smaller class sizes, leadership-focused curriculum.
A new tuition-free public charter school is opening in Myrtle Beach in 2026 with a career-focused curriculum. Details on enrollment and capacity are being finalized at the time of writing.
HCS half-day specialty academy serving 11th and 12th graders from every HCS high school. Programs include engineering, biomedical, digital arts, IT, and culinary. Students attend their home high school in the morning and AAST in the afternoon.
The Strand has several established private schools, including Calvary Christian School (K-12), Coastal Christian Prep (K-12), and St. Andrew Catholic School (K-8). Tuition and admissions vary — we can point you to current information when relevant.
Georgetown County School District covers the southern end of the Grand Strand — Pawleys Island, Litchfield, the Georgetown County portion of Murrells Inlet, and the City of Georgetown.
The anchor for relocation families is Waccamaw High School, located in Pawleys Island. Smaller than the HCS schools (around 800 students), strong academic reputation, and the highest property values in the GCSD attendance area. Waccamaw HS feeds from Waccamaw Elementary, Waccamaw Intermediate, and Waccamaw Middle.
Browse Pawleys Island real estate.
The biggest mistake we see relocating families make is assuming a neighborhood's mailing address tells you its school zone. It doesn't. A "Myrtle Beach 29588" address can feed any of three different high schools depending on the exact street. A "Murrells Inlet" address can feed either St. James (HCS, Horry County side) or Waccamaw (GCSD, Georgetown County side).
Two things to do before you make an offer:
(1) Use the official HCS Zone Lookup tool with the property's exact street address. It returns the assigned elementary, middle, and high school for that address.
(2) Confirm whether the area is subject to any pending redistricting. HCS adjusts attendance zones periodically as enrollment shifts — particularly in Carolina Forest and the St. James cluster, which have seen the most growth.
We can pull both for you on any specific listing. Just send the address.
Horry County Schools is the only public district covering the Myrtle Beach metro — about 47,000 students, 58 schools, third-largest in South Carolina. Georgetown County School District covers the southern Grand Strand (Pawleys Island, Litchfield, parts of Murrells Inlet, the City of Georgetown).
HCS Scholars Academy — a public magnet for academically gifted students — scored 99.7/100 on the 2024-25 SC Report Card, the highest of all 1,309 schools statewide. Among the comprehensive high schools, Carolina Forest HS and St. James HS have the strongest AP participation; Socastee and Aynor offer the IB Diploma Programme.
Most of the master-planned Carolina Forest community, including Avalon, Berkshire Forest, The Bluffs on the Waterway, Plantation Lakes, Waterford Plantation, Walker's Woods, and Wild Wing Plantation. Always confirm at the specific address with the HCS Zone Lookup before making an offer — attendance zones can shift.
Yes. Socastee High School and Aynor High School both offer the IB Diploma Programme.
Yes — it's the anchor school of Georgetown County School District, with strong academic reputation, smaller class sizes (around 800 students), and the highest-value attendance area in GCSD.
Yes — established options include Calvary Christian School (K-12), Coastal Christian Prep (K-12), and St. Andrew Catholic School (K-8), among others. Tuition and admissions criteria vary.
Use the official Horry County Schools Zone Lookup with the exact street address. We can pull this for you on any listing — just send the address.
Periodic adjustments happen, particularly in the fastest-growing parts of the county (Carolina Forest, the St. James cluster). If you're buying specifically for a school zone, ask us about any active or proposed redistricting before you make an offer.