Which Horry County schools are the most overcrowded? See if your school is on the list
Nearly half of Horry County schools have more students than their facilities can support.
During the 2022-23 school year, 14 of 49 Horry County public primary schools were at 100% capacity or higher, according to an April 6, 2023, report to the Horry County Planning Commission. The county projected 21 of 49 county primary schools for the 2023-24 school year were expected to have student bodies at 95% of what a school could adequately account for, with 16 at more than 100% the report added.
As the Myrtle Beach area continues to grow, its school system is growing with it. This comes as the school system is trying to address overcrowding by purchasing land and building new schools. However, in some areas, rapid development is making finding land for new schools more difficult.
Report names top overcrowded schools
Horry County particularly needs new elementary schools, which are some of the most overcrowded in Horry County.
Of the top five schools listed as overcrowded, three of them are elementary schools.
Here are the most overcrowded schools, according to the report given to the county planning commission:
River Oaks Elementary in Carolina Forest. River Oaks is supposed to have about 900 students but has more than 1,300, which is 150% of the school’s intended population.
Ocean Bay Elementary in Carolina Forest is supposed to have about 800 students but has more than 1,000, 132% of the school’s intended population.
Carolina Forest High School in Carolina Forest. The school is supposed to have about 2,400 students but has more than 3,000, which is 126% of the school’s intended population.
Carolina Forest Elementary in Carolina Forest. The elementary school is supposed to teach about 1,000 students but has more than 1,200, 126% of the school’s intended population.
Myrtle Beach High School in Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach High School is supposed to have more than 1,300 but has more than 1,500, 114% of the school’s intended population.
Of the different areas of Horry County, all of North Myrtle Beach’s schools had student bodies that filled at least 95% of the buildings’ intended capacity. Seven of Carolina Forest’s nine schools were at least at 95% functional capacity and half of Aynor’s four schools were at 100%.
Horry County Schools District is trying to address this overcrowding by adding two new schools in the Carolina Forest area, one of the county’s most overcrowded sections, and replacing St. James Elementary.
Horry County Schools Coordinator of Capital Projects Joe Burch said that the two new Carolina Forest elementary schools would be able to accommodate 1,200 students and should address the overcrowding in that area. Burch added that the school district is also looking to replace South Conway Elementary within the district’s next five-year program.
“We’re adding a lot of capacity to the overall elementary system there, and then we’re going to rebalance the enrollments of all five (Carolina Forest elementary schools),” Burch added.
Why finding land for schools is getting harder in Horry County
One way Horry County acquires land for schools is by working with developers to use some of their property as part of larger projects. Bourcier said that the Carolina Forest Development Plan set aside land for schools. The Sun News reported in June 2023 that each school will cost an estimated $64 million.
Burch added that development agreements between the school district and builders can be more attractive than a zoning approach. Developers can negotiate with the school district to give land for schools while also receiving community amenities like fire stations and parks in return, Burch said.
Indeed, developers can also benefit financially by providing land for schools. Washington State University reported in 2017 that home prices in suburban neighborhoods could increase by 2.5% if area test scores rise by 5%.
The system only works in some places, though. Myrtle Beach High School is one of the most overcrowded schools in the county, but the downtown area doesn’t provide much land to remedy that, Bourcier said.
“(Finding) land has been very challenging because the locations we need it in, a lot of the area has already been built out,” she said. “There are other areas that is challenging to find acreage that we need to put a school.”
