According to data released by the South Carolina Department of Education, Bluffton High School earned a "C" letter grade for the 2012-2013 school year, meeting academic expectations put forth by the state in standardized testing and graduation accomplishment. The school previously earned a "B" for the 2011-2012 school year. Bluffton High School received "excellent" scores on the Absolute Rating and Growth Rating metrics on its 2012 state report card. In 2012, 91.7% of students passed the state-mandated High School Assessment Program. The four-year graduation rate was 70.1% in 2012, a marginal decrease from 70.4% in 2011. The teacher retention rate was 79.2%. Based on 2011 financial data, the amount spent per student was $8,255. In 2012, the average student-teacher ratio in core subjects was 29.3 students for every 1 teacher. In total, 28.5% of students were enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and 56.2% of students were enrolled in career/technology courses. Bluffton High School is accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Student take eight classes a year on an A/B block schedule. Four classes a day are taken, and alternate between schedules. The school uses the State of South Carolina's uniform grading scale where an A is 100–93, a B is 92–85, a C is 84–77, a D is 76–70, and a F is 69–0. Bluffton High School educational resources include APEX, Rosetta Stone, Compass Learning, EDM online, Rubicon Atlas, Promethian Planet, SAT prep, Sharepoint, School Fusion, and USA Test Prep. According to the school's School Improvement Council, 83% of seniors earned a National Career Readiness Certificate as a result of passing their ACT WorkKeys Assessment.
Athletics
Bluffton High School competes at the Class AAAA level in the South Carolina High School League. The school fields teams for boys in football, wrestling, basketball, swimming, cross country, track & field, tennis, golf, soccer, and lacrosse; and for girls in cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, swimming, cross country, soccer, track & field, tennis, lacrosse, and golf. Bluffton's historic rival is Hilton Head Island High School. When elevated to Class AAAA in 2012, nearby Beaufort High School became a major rival of the school. May River High School split from Bluffton High School in 2016, creating a new cross-town rivalry. Although Bluffton is a relatively new school, it has achieved tremendous success in its athletics programs. In 2009 and 2011, the girls' golf team won a state title, and regional championships were won in softball, boys' swimming, volleyball, wrestling, and boys' soccer. In 2011, the football team made it to the AAA state final, losing to traditional powerhouse South Pointe High School. In 2017, the Boys Soccer team reached the AAA state final in historic season thanks to coach Joshua Fox, unfortunately losing to Berea High School in a close match that ended 3-2 in overtime.
Clubs and Extracurriculars
Bluffton High School offers a wide range of clubs including Youth in Government, National Honor Society, Z-Club, Model UN, DECA, Robotics Club, Young Republican & Young Democrat Club, Drama Club, Thespian Society, FCA, National Art Honor Society, Academic World Quest, Teens for Healthy Youth, Student Council, Science Olympiad, and Bobcat Readers.
Youth In Government
One of the largest clubs at BLHS, the Youth in Government Program or YIG is a model Legislative and court conference run through the YMCA. This club not only teaches students about government but also puts the students real-world political situations. At the yearly held conference in Columbia, SC's capital officers are elected to the Positions of Youth Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller General, and Superintendent of Education. In 2016, for the first time in the conference's 30 year history two officers were elected from the Low Country and again in 2017 4 officers were elected from the Low Country. Bluffton High holds the three highest offices at the conference and is the seat of the 31st Youth Governor. 2018 Governor Maile S. Paulmeier Lt. Governor John J. Acker IV Attorney General Caleb B. Weis 2017 Speaker of the House Maile S. Paulmeier Comptroller General William E. Schmidt
