Whale Branch Early College High

Q: Is Whale Branch Early College High a good school?

Whale Branch Early College High ranks 99 th of 235 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Whale Branch Early College High is a public high school located in Seabrook, South Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 476 students. The school is part of the Beaufort 01 school district, which is ranked 26th out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Whale Branch Early College High stands out for its consistently strong academic performance, particularly among its predominantly African American (80.04%) and low-income (100% free and reduced lunch) student population. The school outperforms the Beaufort 01 district and the state of South Carolina in several end-of-course assessments, with an impressive 87.38% proficiency rate in Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 compared to 76.85% for Beaufort 01 and 72.5% for the state. This suggests the school is effectively supporting its students and helping them achieve academic success, despite serving a population that often faces educational challenges.

Interestingly, Whale Branch Early College High's academic performance exceeds that of nearby Beaufort High and Battery Creek High schools, which serve more racially and socioeconomically diverse student populations. This may be attributed to the school's higher per-student spending ($20,324 vs. $14,950 and $16,610, respectively) and lower student-teacher ratio (12.3 vs. 14.5 and 12.1, respectively), which could be contributing factors to its strong academic outcomes. Overall, Whale Branch Early College High appears to be a model for effective education in similar demographic contexts, providing valuable insights for other schools serving predominantly African American and low-income student populations.

Detail:

Public, Magnet 9-12

169 Detour Road
Seabrook, SC 29940

(843) 466-2700

District: Beaufort 01

SchoolDigger Rank:
99^th of 235 South Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,324

Feeder schools for Whale Branch Early College High:

Elementary:	Whale Branch Elementary
Middle:	Whale Branch Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 12.3

Number of students: 476

Racial breakdown:

African American:

80.0%

Hispanic:

10.3%

White:

6.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Whale Branch Early College High ranks better than 57.9% of high schools in South Carolina. It also ranks 4^th among 6 ranked high schools in the Beaufort 01 School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.17. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Whale Branch Early College High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Whale Branch Early College High has the largest high school student body size in the Beaufort 01 School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whale Branch Early College High is $20,324, which is the highest among 6 high schools in the Beaufort 01 School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Whale Branch Early College High:

SchoolDigger ranks Whale Branch Early College High 99^th of 235 South Carolina public high schools. (See Whale Branch Early College High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Beaufort 01:

SchoolDigger ranks Beaufort 01 26^th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Whale Branch Early College High

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Rank History for all students at Whale Branch Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	SC State Percentile
2013	14.60	179^th	203	11.8%
2014	25.01	161^st	210	23.3%
2015	31.07	158^th	232	31.9%
2016	32.86	153^rd	231	33.8%
2017	36.26	124^th	223	44.4%
2018	37.80	113^th	216	47.7%
2019	35.70	120^th	225	46.7%
2021	43.40	118^th	227	48.0%
2022	45.66	113^th	226	50.0%
2023	47.10	113^th	237	52.3%
2024	50.17	99^th	235	57.9%

See the entire list of South Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Whale Branch Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	46.98	93^rd	214	56.5%
2019	41.29	104^th	217	52.1%
2021	53.67	72^nd	213	66.2%
2022	51.72	89^th	220	59.5%
2023	55.49	79^th	226	65.0%
2024	59.93	68^th	229	70.3%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Whale Branch Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	41.68	108^th	210	48.6%
2019	32.93	128^th	213	39.9%
2021	40.98	121^st	213	43.2%
2022	37.61	137^th	220	37.7%
2023	40.52	125^th	223	43.9%
2024	51.83	97^th	225	56.9%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Whale Branch Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	34.57	127^th	213	40.4%
2019	40.68	111^th	218	49.1%
2021	44.39	112^th	215	47.9%
2022	53.78	86^th	224	61.6%
2023	51.73	93^rd	229	59.4%
2024	48.38	103^rd	228	54.8%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Whale Branch Early College High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	SC State Percentile
2018	67.84	35^th	183	80.9%
2019	56.70	59^th	184	67.9%
2021	71.69	30^th	178	83.1%
2022	70.09	40^th	190	78.9%
2023	66.61	43^rd	199	78.4%
2024	73.07	36^th	194	81.4%

See the entire list of Best South Carolina High Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: South Carolina Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: South Carolina State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Whale Branch Early College High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	74	306	2	16	0	0	4	402
2012	102	383	3	16	1	0	6	511
2013	93	368	1	18	0	0	15	495
2014	105	398	0	21	0	0	14	538
2015	93	393	1	28	0	0	15	530
2016	71	387	0	33	1	0	13	505
2017	58	401	0	25	1	0	13	498
2018	51	380	2	22	0	0	21	476
2019	46	355	2	24	0	0	17	444
2020	38	358	1	29	0	1	23	450
2021	30	355	2	32	0	1	18	438
2022	33	345	1	43	0	1	15	438
2023	33	381	0	49	0	0	13	476

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Whale Branch Early College High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	402	23.0	17.4	69.2
2012	511	31.0	16.4	67.3
2013	495	34.0	14.5	71.3
2014	538	32.0	16.8	65.8
2015	530	35.0	15.1	80.6
2016	505	33.0	15.3	100
2017	498	31.0	16.0	100
2018	476	34.5	13.7	100
2019	444	34.0	13.0	100
2020	450	35.5	12.6	100
2021	438	37.5	11.6	100
2022	438	39.0	11.2	100
2023	476	38.5	12.3	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Whale Branch Early College High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	402	23.0	17.4	69.2
2012	511	31.0	16.4	67.3
2013	495	34.0	14.5	71.3
2014	538	32.0	16.8	65.8
2015	530	35.0	15.1	80.6
2016	505	33.0	15.3	100
2017	498	31.0	16.0	100
2018	476	34.5	13.7	100
2019	444	34.0	13.0	100
2020	450	35.5	12.6	100
2021	438	37.5	11.6	100
2022	438	39.0	11.2	100
2023	476	38.5	12.3	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Whale Branch Early College High

Year	Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Total Expenditures from Federal Funds	Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$869 (5.8%)	$723 (4.8%)	$1,592 (10.6%)	$9,909 (66.1%)	$3,479 (23.2%)	$13,388 (89.4%)	$14,980
2020	$440 (2.8%)	$106 (0.7%)	$545 (3.5%)	$11,026 (70.3%)	$4,112 (26.2%)	$15,138 (96.5%)	$15,683
2021	$659 (3.9%)	$838 (4.9%)	$1,498 (8.8%)	$11,747 (68.8%)	$3,832 (22.4%)	$15,579 (91.2%)	$17,076
2022	$737 (4.3%)	$754 (4.4%)	$1,491 (8.7%)	$12,262 (71.7%)	$3,339 (19.5%)	$15,601 (91.3%)	$17,092
2023	$1,429 (7.0%)	$1,366 (6.7%)	$2,795 (13.8%)	$13,558 (66.7%)	$3,971 (19.5%)	$17,529 (86.2%)	$20,324

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Whale Branch Early College High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 120^th of 225 High schools	Ranks 113^th of 237 High schools	5.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Whale Branch Early College High)	85.5	87.9	2.4%
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (Beaufort 01)	80.1	71.2	8.9%
End of Course Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (South Carolina)	68.6	68.3	0.3%
End of Course Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (Whale Branch Early College High)	58.9	57.1	1.8%
End of Course Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (Beaufort 01)	73.4	68.8	4.6%
End of Course Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (South Carolina)	67.2	59.1	8.1%
End of Course English 1 (Whale Branch Early College High)	80.8	84.3	3.5%
End of Course English 1 (Beaufort 01)	81.1	85.9	4.8%
End of Course English 1 (South Carolina)	78.9	84	5.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	444	476	7.2%
African American	355	381	7.3%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	2	0	100%
Hispanic	24	49	104.2%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	46	33	28.3%
Two or More Races	17	13	23.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Whale Branch Early College High

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 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th 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
Whale Branch Early College High	Public, Magnet	9-12	169 Detour Road	Seabrook	29940	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 466-2700	476	39	12.3	100.0%	33 (6.9%)	381 (80.0%)	49 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)	50.2	99^th of 235 public high schools	57.9%		47.1	113^th of 237 public high schools	52.3%	14							87.4	64.7	43.8	84.4	$20,324	$1,429	$1,366	$2,795	$13,558	$3,971	$17,529
Battery Creek High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1 Blue Dolphin Drive	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 322-5500	788	65	12.1	61.0%	186 (23.6%)	345 (43.8%)	207 (26.3%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.1%)	9.1	219^th of 235 public high schools	6.8%		18.6	193^rd of 237 public high schools	18.6%	26							42.7	35.8	36.3	71.2	$16,610	$661	$1,141	$1,802	$11,732	$3,075	$14,807
Beaufort High	Public, Magnet	9-12	84 Sea Island Parkway	Beaufort	29907	Beaufort County	Beaufort 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 302-2000	1,191	82	14.5	49.3%	503 (42.2%)	470 (39.5%)	124 (10.4%)	22 (1.8%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	62 (5.2%)	46.5	117^th of 235 public high schools	50.2%		51.6	103^rd of 237 public high schools	56.5%	14							57.5	56.5	60.5	87.2	$14,950	$649	$1,167	$1,816	$10,761	$2,373	$13,134
Ridgeland High	Public	9-12	5 Correctional Road	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-3252	8	3	2.6		0 (0.0%)	8 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence	Public	6-12	250 Jaguar Trail	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	Jasper 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 489-8844	639	48	13.3	100.0%	46 (7.2%)	345 (54.0%)	245 (38.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	27.4	173^rd of 235 public high schools	26.4%		18.2	195^th of 237 public high schools	17.7%	22	25.9	32.4	25.8	20.2	9.5	10.2	56.8	61.4	45.1	68.3
Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence	Public	10-12	80 Lowcountry Drive	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	Beaufort 80	No	No	No	No	(843) 987-8107	0	18	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Whale Branch Early College High

What schools feed into Whale Branch Early College High?

Whale Branch Early College High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Whale Branch Elementary
Middle : Whale Branch Middle

How many students attend Whale Branch Early College High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 476 students attended Whale Branch Early College High.

What is the racial makeup of Whale Branch Early College High?

Students at Whale Branch Early College High are 80% African American, 10% Hispanic, 7% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Whale Branch Early College High in?

Beaufort 01

Is Whale Branch Early College High a good school?

Whale Branch Early College High ranks 99^th of 235 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Whale Branch Early College High!

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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.