North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By Ruben Lowman
The struggle to keep pace with a surging student population continues for Horry County Schools, where fresh data reveals that more than a third of the district’s facilities will face significant overcrowding by the next academic year.
While some neighborhoods are seeing a reprieve thanks to recent construction, other areas — particularly North Myrtle Beach and Aynor — are reaching critical mass, prompting the school board to greenlight multi-million dollar land acquisitions.
According to the latest functional capacity reports for the 2026-27 term, 20 out of the district’s 58 schools are projected to hit the Category 1 Red Zone status. This designation, triggered when a school exceeds 95 percent of its intended capacity, effectively freezes student transfers into those buildings.
The North Myrtle Beach attendance area is currently the primary point of concern for the district. Every single school in that cluster is expected to be red-zoned next year, with Riverside and Waterway Elementary schools projected to operate at 112 percent and 115 percent capacity, respectively.
To address this strain, the board recently moved to purchase the Harbour View Golf Course in Little River for nearly $6 million. The 36-acre tract on Horseshoe Road, currently home to a par-3 course and driving range, is slated to become a future school site once the sale is finalized.
The data shows that strategic building projects can turn the tide. The opening of Ten Oaks and Pine Island elementary schools has successfully pulled several Carolina Forest area schools out of the red zone.
However, Carolina Forest High remains the most crowded facility in the entire district, with enrollment expected to hit 120 percent of its intended capacity.
In contrast, the Myrtle Beach attendance area is experiencing a notable cooldown. Myrtle Beach High is set to lose its red-zone designation, a shift that carries significant weight for local athletics. Under new state transfer rules, this change allows student-athletes from other areas to transfer into the school without the usual penalties, joining other open-transfer sites like Aynor, Conway and Loris.
District officials aren’t just looking at headcounts, they are also evaluating the physical health of the 8 million square feet of space they currently manage. Using a specific index to weigh repair costs against total replacement value, the district has identified 16 facilities as the primary focus for upcoming capital improvements.
While schools like Loris High remain well under their limits — operating at just 69 percent capacity — the western rural part of the county is seeing its own spike. Aynor Elementary is projected to reach a staggering 116 percent capacity next year.
To prepare for this westward expansion, the district secured 67 acres between Conway and Aynor last August, ensuring they have the footprint ready when the next wave of construction becomes inevitable.
