Greenville County Schools report cards reveal graduation rates, college, career readiness
On the South Carolina Department of Education (SDE) annual report cards for the 2022-23 school year, 37.2% of schools in Greenville County scored Excellent, with 34.8% scoring Good.
The district's high school graduation rate also increased to 85.1%. Seventy-four-point seven percent of the 2022-23 graduation cohort met one or more of the criteria for College and Career Readiness, a 2.0% increase from last year.
These scores are significantly higher than the 22.5% schools across the state scoring Excellent and 24.5% Good.
Report card scores, graduation rate and college and career readiness results can be attributed to the positive impacts of the district's Graduation Plus initiative, the district's framework from Pre-K through 12th grade to GCS ensure students graduate with a diploma PLUS college credit and industry certification.
“The results of the report card ratings, improvement in college- and career-readiness and a graduation rate that is back to pre-pandemic status show Greenville County Schools continues to excel and outperform the state,” said GCS Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster. “These outcomes reflect the hard work of our students and their families, along with the diligence and dedication of school staff and district administration, and the support of the GCS Board of Trustees, to provide the best educational opportunities and real-world preparation for our students.”
The annual state report card informs parents and the community of the performance of entire districts as well as primary, elementary, middle, and high schools, said the press release.
Academic Achievement, Preparing for Success, Student Progress, English Learners’ Progress, and School Climate for elementary, middle, and high schools are rated by the annual state report card. Additional rated indicators for high schools include Graduation Rate and College and Career Readiness. Child Development Centers and Career Centers do not receive state report cards. High schools are not rated on Student Progress.
2022 overall rating of Greenville County Schools
∎ Excellent: 32
∎ Good: 30
∎ Average: 16
∎ Below Average: 6
∎ Unsatisfactory: 2
∎ Not Rated: 2
Sterling School and Rudolph Gordon, both serving grades K-8, received two scores, one each for Elementary and Middle School Programs. Fountain Inn High School opened in the 2021-2022 school year, and therefore, does not receive an overall rating. Washington Center, serving K-12 students with disabilities, does not receive an overall rating. Langston Charter Middle School is not included in these counts.
Nine out of 14 GCS high schools achieved a higher graduation rate than the state. Woodmont, Riverside and Mauldin High Schools each graduated more than 90% of the students who entered 9th grade four years earlier.
Greenville County Schools vs SC: 4-year on-time graduation rate
Greenville County Schools:
∎ 2019: 85.1
∎ 2020: 86.1
∎ 2021: 84.1
∎ 2022: 84.8
∎ 2023: 85.1
State of South Carolina:
∎ 2019: 81.1
∎ 2020: 82.2
∎ 2021: 83.3
∎ 2022: 83.8
∎ 2023: 83.8
Greenville County Schools 2022 graduation rates
∎ Woodmont HS: 95.0
∎ Riverside HS: 93.0
∎ Mauldin HS: 91.0
∎ Eastside HS: 89.4
∎ JL Mann HS: 88.5
∎ Hillcrest HS: 88.4
∎ Greenville HS: 87.7
∎ Wade Hampton HS: 84.2
∎ Blue Ridge HS: 84.1
∎ Greer HS: 82.8
∎ Travelers Rest HS: 77.6
∎ Carolina HS: 70.9
∎ Berea HS: 67.8
∎ Southside HS: 65.4
The percentage of students in the GCS graduation cohort who are college or career ready increased 2 points in 2022, now standing 10 percentage points higher than the state’s rate.
From 2021-22 to 2022-23,12 of the 14 high schools improved their overall College and Career Readiness percentage. All 14 high schools increased the percentage of their graduation cohort completing a CTE Pathway with industry certification for the same school year. More than 23% of the graduation cohort achieved this metric district wide. In addition, 9 of the 14 high schools increased their percentage of the graduation cohort completing six or more dual enrollment credits.
Greenville County Schools vs SC: College and career readiness
South Carolina
∎ 2020-21: 61.6
∎ 2021-22: 65.8
∎ 2022-23: 64.7
Greenville County Schools
∎ 2020-21: 64.6
∎ 2021-22: 72.7
∎ 2022-23: 74.7
Difference:
∎ 2020-21: +3.5
∎ 2021-22: +6.9
∎ 2022-23: +10.0
The new CCR results (as of 2020) cannot be compared to that of previous years because the cohort of students measured has changed from graduates to all students in the four year on-time graduation cohort (graduates and non-graduates). Fountain Inn High School is not included in the above since it opened in fall 2021.
Nina Tran covers trending topics. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County Schools report cards: See graduation rates, scores
