Hilton Head & Bluffton Schools

Public education in Hilton Head is under the authority of the Beaufort County School District. Children in the town attend the following schools:

Opened in August, 2004, Bluffton High School is the second high school in Southern Beaufort County, South Carolina and is one of Eight high schools total. The Bluffton community is socio-economically diverse. Bluffton High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the South Carolina State Department of Education.

Students: Total enrollment is approximately 1,300 students grades ten through twelve. The geographical area served extends from Okatie, SC to the gateway to Hilton Head Island, SC. The school’s population is reflective of the surrounding community and consists of 55% white, 19% black, 24% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and 1% other.

Definition of Curriculum: Bluffton High School is a science/technology high school which offers a variety of academic learning environments in both traditional and virtual settings in order to meet the demands of educating students in the 21st Century. The school offers four interdisciplinary, theme-based small learning communities in the areas of: Business and Biotechnology Information Technology Interdisciplinary Studies and Education Visual and Performing Arts

Bluffton High School students take eight classes per year on an A/B block schedule. A full range of Vocational Courses are also offered through our partnership with the Academy for Career Excellence.

Faculty: Outstanding professionals at Bluffton High School provide a comprehensive and varied educational program. The faculty is highly driven, dedicated and talented. Bluffton High School has 76 teaching staff members. Two hold Doctoral degrees and 42 hold Master’s degrees. The average teaching experience of the faculty is fifteen years. Six are currently National Board Certified.

Grading System: Grades are computed by using the South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale of 0-5.87 with Honors, Pre-AP, and AP courses receiving additional weight. Transfer grades in courses carrying Carnegie units will be converted to the scale according to the South Carolina Grade Point Conversion Table.

Graduation Profile: Bluffton High School has a highly motivated student body with 60 percent of last year’s graduating class attending a four-year university or college upon graduation and 20 percent attending a technical/vocational school. Six percent entered the armed forces. Students typically score above both state and national averages on both the ACT and SAT. Minimum graduation requirements by credit are (24): English, 4; Mathematics, 4; Science, 3; Social Science, 3; Foreign Language/Career, 1; PE or ROTC, 1; Computer, 1; and Electives, 7.

Higher education in Bluffton

Higher education facilities are located just outside the town limits. The University of South Carolina Beaufort’s new Gateway campus and the Technical College of the Lowcountry’s New River campus are located along the U.S. Highway 278 corridor, halfway between Bluffton and Hardeeville in the Sun City vicinity.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry (often abbreviated as TCL) is a comprehensive, two-year community college serving the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. The main campus is located in Beaufort along Ribaut Road. Additional facilities are in Bluffton / Hardeeville, Hampton, Parris Island, and at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort.

TCL enrolls approximately 2,000 students while offering 75 programs. Nearly one-half of students enrolled are minorities, with close to 80% receiving some degree of financial aid. TCL traces its roots to the Mather School, established in 1868 to provide education for newly-freed slaves in Beaufort County.

USCB is one of the 3 senior campuses in the University of South Carolina system and is a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited four-year university. 4,650 students attended the University at one of its two campuses during the Fall 2009 semester.

USCB offers the region’s only Human Services degree as well as more traditional degrees like English, psychology, business and education. The school opened a nursing facility in Spring 2009. Human simulators provide nursing students hands-on training opportunities. Another popular program capitalizing on nearby Hilton Head Island resorts is the Hospitality Management program which draws international students and provides internship experiences. The Marine Science program allows students to explore and study first-hand the continental-shelf and estuarine environment from a new research facility on Prichard’s Island, one of a string of nearby barrier islands. A Loggerhead Sea Turtle conservation effort is a major feature of that program.

Courtesy Wikipedia.org