A message from Ms. Driggers

Welcome to The Forest – Home of the Panthers! 

In the fall of 1997, the Carolina Forest Education Center opened its doors to students in grades 6 -10 from areas of Conway, Myrtle Beach, and Socastee. With phenomenal growth, we soon became Carolina Forest High School and began to build a tradition of excellence in academics, athletics, and the visual and performing arts. We continue to see growth after 26 years of tradition.  

We are bringing positive energy and building relationships with each other and our community as we continue to be recognized for excellence in academics, fine arts, sports, and extracurricular offerings for our students. Our Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program continues to flourish through our AP Computer Science, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus, and AP Statistics classes as well as Project Lead The Way (PLTW) with its Engineering, Architecture, Biomedical, and Cybersecurity classes.The success of our PLTW program is demonstrated through Carolina Forest being recognized as a Distinguished Project Lead The Way School. Known for academic rigor and its continued high passage rate above the state and international level, our AP program, including AP Capstone and Research, offers our students an opportunity to receive an AP Diploma from the College Board. Students may choose from 25 advanced placement classes, the highest number offered in our district. In fact, CFHS ranks high in the state in AP rankings. In addition, US News & World Report ranked us as one of the best high schools in the state. With a continued emphasis on fine arts, such as Creative Writing, Journalism,Digital Photography, Orchestra, Marching a nd Symphonic Band, Musical Performance and Theory, and Technical and Performance Theatre, as well as Career and Technology Education (CTE) classes, dual enrollment with Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC), and Completer Status in Business and Agricultural Science Programs, the Panthers have opportunities unmatched by any other HCS high school.

Our visual and performing arts programs speak for themselves. The CFHS marching band, the largest in Horry County Schools, received 3 Superior with Distinction state ratings. The CFHS Color Guard also placed first in the state. Additionally, Carolina Forest has the largest high school orchestra in Horry County with 42 students out of 71 representing Horry County’s All county orchestra, 30 students out of 71 representing at the region level, and 8 students representing at the state level. The orchestra also received the highest rating of Superior with distinction at the Concert Performance Assessment held by our South Carolina Music Educators association. The performing arts program presented the Broadway musical, 42 Street, in 8 amazing performances. We would like to thank our students, parents, teachers, and community members for their continued support as we progress toward our goals. Without their assistance, our continued progress would not be possible.

The CFHS athletes had an incredible year with 17 varsity teams qualifying for the Region V, 5A State Playoffs, 13 of which won the SCHSL Region V, 5A Championship. Our girls’ golf team won lower states and we had an individual wrestling state champion, and individual girls' high jump state champion. Additionally, our NJROTC program excelled again this year. The unit received its 5th Distinguished Unit Award, ranking it in the top 30% in the nation. Its Cyber Patriot Team earned a Gold Tier ranking and the NJROTC unit finished 2nd in the state and 4th in region out of 66 competing programs.  

When you have the opportunity, I encourage you to visit our campus and see the displays of our athletic and academic accomplishments for yourself. I also encourage you to follow us on Twitter at #cfhighschool and #cfhspanthers, and take note of all the academic and athletic programs CFHS has to offer. Our students, faculty, staff, parents, and community have been instrumental in our successes. 

Remember, the relationships built during the school year with staff and students will last a lifetime.  As we move throughout the school year, let us be mindful of the importance of being encouraging, patient, and thankful. 

Sincerely,

Gaye Driggers