South Carolina releases 2026 school report cards showing gains
State education leaders say more schools earned top ratings and the graduation rate hit a ten-year high. Officials still point to a college readiness gap.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
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What happened
State Superintendent Ellen Weaver released the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards on Monday. The results showed more schools earning top scores and improvements across Midlands districts, including Lexington and Richland County. Education leaders said about 90% of students attend a school rated average or better, and they want to improve the rest.
Why it matters
Leaders credit years of increased funding and classroom reforms for the stronger outcomes. The remaining 10% of students attending lower-rated schools remain a focus for improvement.
Timeline
- Oct 12, 9:13 AM ET: Superintendent Ellen Weaver released the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards.
- Oct 12, 6:49 PM ET: Education leaders said there is still work to do to improve the remaining 10% of students in lower-rated schools.
- Oct 12, 7:22 PM ET: Officials pointed to a college readiness gap despite a graduation rate at its highest level in a decade.
Coverage
- More SC schools get top scores than ever, but education leaders say there’s still work to do (indexjournal.com)
- SC schools made big strides this year, new report says. Here’s what changed (thestate.com)
- SC school report cards show gains, but officials eye college readiness gap (live5news.com)
- More SC schools get top scores than ever, but education leaders say there's still work to do (scdailygazette.com)
- Where Lexington, Richland County schools rank in SC state report cards (thestate.com)
- SC Superintendent Ellen Weaver releases 2026 school report cards (abcnews4.com)
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