COLUMBIA – South Carolina high schools had their highest graduation rate in a decade, but a quarter of kids still aren’t ready for college or the workforce, according to state report card data released Monday.
Generally, South Carolina’s schools improved compared to previous year, according to the statewide statistics that assesses how well schools function based on test scores, classroom surveys and student progress, among other factors. Education officials welcomed a 10-year high in the number of kids graduating on time — meaning they graduated four years after commencing ninth grade — while said they would continue pushing for programs to increase how well those students were prepared for life beyond high school.
“We have to make sure that our diplomas are worth more than the piece of paper that they are written on,” said state Superintendent Ellen Weaver.
Overall, 270 schools ranked “excellent” this year, an increase from 232 previous year. The bottom tier of “unsatisfactory” decreased from 49 to 31, while “below average” schools plummeted from 186 to 145.
Any time the number of schools in the lowest tier falls, that’s excellent news, since it means children across the state are getting a better education, said Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist with the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
“There’s encouraging information here,” Kelly said of the report cards.
Officials from the state Department of Education and the independent Education Oversight Committee, which is mandated by state law with rating schools, announced the findings at Annie Burnside Elementary School in Columbia, which moved two categories this year, from “average” to “excellent.”
At the Richland District One school, 83% of the 306 pupils live in poverty. The school’s substantial rating gain was due to strong student development, as evidenced by their test scores, and responses on a survey about the school’s general environment, according to its report card.
“Our academic gains are no coincidence,” stated Principal Janet Campbell. “They are the result of setting measurable goals, challenging our students to reach them and supporting them along the way.”
Graduation rates and readiness
This year, 87% of high schoolers graduated on schedule, up from 85% previous year. Kelly thought it was worth celebrating.
“Our goal should be for every student in South Carolina who has the ability to earn a high school diploma,” he told reporters.
According to state data, three-quarters of pupils were prepared for college or a career following graduation, representing a three-point increase. Less than one-third were prepared for both.
Although the gap between graduating students and those who are prepared for what comes next is closing significantly, state authorities are nonetheless concerned, according to Weaver.
“At the end of the day, we want our students, when they leave a South Carolina high school, to know that that diploma that they carry is a diploma of value,” Weaver told the crowd. “This is a diploma that is going to ensure that they are ready to go onto whatever post-secondary success looks like for them.”
All 11th graders in the state take a test that assesses skills usually required for professions, separated into four categories: arithmetic, reading, data comprehension, and “soft skills,” which encompass qualities of a job such as dressing professionally and working well with others. Results are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating that pupils are prepared to pursue other vocations.
Students are considered career-ready if they achieve a score of 3 or above on the test, obtain a technical education certificate, complete a state-approved internship, or score high enough on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to enlist in the military. According to report card data, 73% of students met the criterion this year, up from 70% the previous year.
College preparation is determined by a student’s performance on the ACT or SAT college admission exams, college credit gained through dual enrollment, and/or results on end-of-course Advanced Placement assessments.
According to state data, one-third of graduating pupils were college-ready, a figure consistent with the previous five years. The percentage of high school students applying to college has also decreased, with 59% reported filling out applications this year, compared to 61% last year.
According to Kelly, a disparity between graduation rate and readiness for the next step implies that schools occasionally graduate children without teaching them the skills they need to thrive in life.
For example, district laws establishing minimum grades that teachers can provide make it easier for students to pass their classes, even if they haven’t done the work, according to Kelly. Alternatives for students who fail tests or classes are sometimes easier, allowing them to catch up without having to learn the same abilities as their peers, he explained.
“We’ve put some policies in place that make it harder to evaluate what a student knows and can do,” Kelly told me.
Beginning this school year, students can follow a so-called pathway to earn credentials that build on each other year after year, allowing them to learn more advanced skills that will make it easier for them to find work in the field they want to pursue, according to April Allen, chair of the Education Oversight Committee’s governing board.
“At the same time, we recognize that strengthening the system must be combined with addressing the barriers that prevent students from fully engaging in school,” said Allen, who also serves as Continental Tire’s government relations director.
Chronic absenteeism and test results
For example, Allen expressed concern about the amount of pupils who missed at least ten days of school this year.
Around 23% of kids were chronically absent, roughly the same as previous year. According to a report released last year by the committee, the more days a student misses from school, the less likely they are to perform as predicted for their grade level on end-of-year assessments.
These tests, in turn, help determine how well a school or district is performing. Officials and teacher advocates attributed the Palmetto Literacy Project and a shift in how early educators teach reading with increasing English scores, but math scores remain poor, with less than half of third- through eighth-graders performing at grade level, according to state testing data.
According to report card data, slightly more than half of the state’s high school students received at least a C, or 70%, on their end-of-course Algebra I examinations, which are frequently administered during the freshman year. Nearly 69% passed their English 2 tests, which are normally given in the sophomore year.
While encouraging growth, teachers’ supporters cautioned against relying too largely on a single exam result to determine how well teachers and pupils are functioning. A single, high-pressure exam at the end of the year may not be the best predictor of school achievement, according to Dena Crews, president of the South Carolina Education Association.
“If people are making judgments based on that, they’re missing a whole lot about schools and districts,” Crews told the audience.
Teacher support
According to Weaver, the Department of Education intends to focus on teachers in 2026.
“The No. 1 thing that we have to do to support student learning is take care of our teachers,” Weaver told me.
She is requesting that legislators raise the minimum wage for first-year teachers to $50,000, up from $48,500. For years, legislators have gradually increased the pay floor, with the declared objective of reaching $50,000.
Weaver is also requesting $5 million to continue a trial program that pays instructors bonuses based on how well their children do on tests. She also wants to develop a program that rewards great instructors who encourage others. The new responsibility would be another chance to make more money without leaving the classroom to work in school administration, she explained.
Kelly emphasized the importance of supporting teachers in increasing school performance. The encouraging results in this year’s report cards followed the first decrease in teacher vacancies since 2019, he added.
“It should not be a surprise to see school performance improve as teacher vacancies go down,” Kelly told reporters.
