Best Public Schools in Bluffton, SC

Summary:

The city of Bluffton, South Carolina is home to 10 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools. These schools serve a diverse student population and generally outperform state and district averages in academic performance.

The standout schools in Bluffton include River Ridge Academy, which ranks in the top 20% of elementary schools in the state, and the two high schools, May River High and Bluffton High, which both rank in the top 40 high schools in Beaufort 01 district. Okatie Elementary also stands out as a consistently high-performing school, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While the Bluffton schools generally provide a quality education, with strong academic performance and equitable resource allocation, there are some areas for improvement. The middle schools in the district lag behind the elementary and high schools, suggesting an opportunity for the district to focus on strengthening the middle school experience. Additionally, higher spending does not always translate to the highest academic outcomes, indicating that factors beyond just funding, such as instructional quality and school leadership, play a key role in student success.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SC READY English Language Arts (2024)						SC READY Mathematics (2024)						EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2024)	EOCEP English 1 (2024)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2024)	EOCEP English 2 (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Michael C. Riley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Burnt Church Road	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 706-8300	718	77	9.3	73.1%	179 (24.9%)	51 (7.1%)	469 (65.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.9%)	22.8	498^th of 638 public elementary schools	21.9%		35.1	420^th of 644 public elementary schools	34.8%	78	35.4	40.7	39.6				39.5	35.4	30.6								$17,035	$1,062	$1,373	$2,435	$12,447	$2,153	$14,600
Bluffton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	160 H.E. McCracken Circle	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 706-8500	714	68	10.5	57.7%	295 (41.3%)	80 (11.2%)	283 (39.6%)	21 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.8%)	67.1	205^th of 638 public elementary schools	67.9%		65.8	215^th of 644 public elementary schools	66.6%	10	52.0	62.0	60.6				59.6	62.9	53.8								$16,510	$740	$1,303	$2,043	$12,154	$2,313	$14,467
H. E. McCracken Middle	Public	6-8	250 H. E. McCracken Circle	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 706-8700	892	71	12.5	51.7%	454 (50.9%)	87 (9.8%)	286 (32.1%)	14 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.5%)	62	112^th of 325 public middle schools	65.5%		64.6	100^th of 325 public middle schools	69.2%	12				54.3	52.9	51.5				42.2	39.0	32.8	100.0				$14,781	$488	$1,260	$1,748	$10,522	$2,511	$13,034
Bluffton High	Public	9-12	12 H. E. McCracken Circle	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 706-8800	1,384	98	14.1	54.9%	516 (37.3%)	164 (11.8%)	635 (45.9%)	21 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (3.4%)	74.6	38^th of 235 public high schools	83.8%		79.2	28^th of 237 public high schools	88.2%	10													82.5	86.4	73.2	88.5	$13,365	$457	$1,029	$1,486	$9,818	$2,061	$11,879
Red Cedar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10 Box Elder Street	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 707-0600	643	56	11.4	60.7%	270 (42.0%)	60 (9.3%)	274 (42.6%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	73.9	160^th of 638 public elementary schools	74.9%		77.5	133^rd of 644 public elementary schools	79.3%	27	58.5	68.0	64.2				63.9	62.8	55.5								$17,745	$1,639	$1,197	$2,836	$12,917	$1,992	$14,909
Pritchardville Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	9447 Evan Way	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 707-0500	939	83	11.3	49.0%	496 (52.8%)	78 (8.3%)	297 (31.6%)	12 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (5.8%)	85.1	84^th of 638 public elementary schools	86.8%		75.6	150^th of 644 public elementary schools	76.7%	66	65.1	71.5	72.7				68.4	70.1	69.7								$11,637	$600	$1,096	$1,696	$8,442	$1,499	$9,941
Bluffton Middle	Public	6-8	30 New Mustang Road	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 707-0700	917	66	14.0	61.6%	354 (38.6%)	104 (11.3%)	415 (45.3%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.1%)	68.7	80^th of 325 public middle schools	75.4%		65.7	96^th of 325 public middle schools	70.5%	16				62.8	57.9	52.2				55.7	37.7	28.0	100.0				$13,710	$500	$1,259	$1,759	$9,454	$2,496	$11,950
River Ridge Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	3050 River Ridge Drive	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 836-4600	1,138	89	12.7	42.1%	648 (56.9%)	79 (6.9%)	309 (27.2%)	35 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (5.7%)	80.3	119^th of 638 public elementary schools	81.3%		76.1	141^st of 644 public elementary schools	78.1%	22	69.4	66.6	60.3	74.4	64.3	65.4	70.7	58.5	56.4	60.9	50.4	45.1	98.2				$14,076	$464	$1,157	$1,621	$10,414	$2,042	$12,456
May River High	Public	9-12	601 New Riverside Road	Bluffton	29910	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 836-4900	1,665	110	15.2	45.3%	884 (53.1%)	173 (10.4%)	513 (30.8%)	26 (1.6%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	65 (3.9%)	73.8	40^th of 235 public high schools	83.0%		75.3	38^th of 237 public high schools	84.0%	2													74.0	78.8	71.5	91.5	$12,277	$424	$1,081	$1,505	$8,782	$1,991	$10,772
Okatie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	53 Cherry Point Road	Bluffton	29909	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 322-7700	599	54	11.0	50.1%	340 (56.8%)	59 (9.8%)	158 (26.4%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.2%)	79.7	124^th of 638 public elementary schools	80.6%		87.8	78^th of 644 public elementary schools	87.9%	46	62.3	76.2	75.9				58.2	60.3	79.5								$15,297	$600	$1,062	$1,662	$11,728	$1,907	$13,635

Cities Near Bluffton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ridgeland	7.05 mi	6	219^th
Hilton Head Island	8.34 mi	5	84^th
Hardeeville	11.12 mi	4	148^th
Beaufort	11.21 mi	15	97^th
Port Royal	13.02 mi	1	164^th

See the top SC South Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.