equity
Attendance for SC Students in Foster Care Is Getting Worse, Not Better
Students in foster care in SC have a 42.4% chronic absenteeism rate, up 13.4 points in four years, even as the foster care population dropped by nearly half.
South Carolina Education News & Data
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district-spotlight
Greenville County Schools Crosses 90% Graduation Rate for the First Time
Greenville County Schools posted a 90.6% graduation rate in 2025, the first time the state's largest district has crossed 90%, with broad gains across every subgroup.
district-spotlight
Shaw Air Force Base Can't Save Sumter's Schools
Sumter has lost 3,610 students since 2015, a 21.3% decline, despite hosting one of the Southeast's largest military installations. The base's $2 billion impact isn't enough.
equity
South Carolina's Poverty Attendance Gap: 16 Points and Not Closing
Economically disadvantaged students are chronically absent at 28.5% vs 12.1% for their peers, a 16-point gap that has not budged in four years of data.
equity
South Carolina Hits All-Time High 86.7% Graduation Rate. Youth in Foster Care Graduate at Less Than Half That
South Carolina's graduation rate reached an all-time high of 86.7% in 2025, but youth in foster care graduate at just 44.8%, a 41.9 percentage-point gap.
demographics
Black Enrollment Fell 15% in South Carolina
South Carolina lost 41,256 Black students since 2015, outpacing white decline and reshaping the state's school demographics as Hispanic enrollment nearly doubled.
chronic-absenteeism
The Corridor of Shame's Attendance Crisis: 30-40% Chronic Absenteeism in Rural I-95 Districts
South Carolina's poorest rural districts along I-95 have chronic absenteeism rates nearly double the state average, deepening decades of educational inequality.
graduation-rate
South Carolina Produces Record 54,980 Graduates as Rate Hits All-Time High
SC produced 54,980 graduates in the class of 2025 (a record) as the graduation rate reached an all-time high of 86.7% from a record cohort of 63,440.
enrollment
Nearly Half of SC Districts Hit Record Lows
34 of South Carolina's 81 school districts recorded their lowest enrollment in 12 years in 2025-26, while 59 declined and only 5 reached highs.
equity
Absence Rate for SC Students Who Are Homeless Has Not Budged in Four Years
Students who are currently homeless in SC have a 48.7% chronic absenteeism rate that has barely budged in four years, while students in foster care are getting worse.
school-choice
How a Small College Built SC's Sixth-Largest School District
The Charter Institute at Erskine grew from 8,450 to 28,376 students in seven years, becoming SC's sixth-largest district.
chronic-absenteeism
South Carolina's 'Be Present' Bet: Can a Statewide Campaign Move the Needle on 176,000 Absent Students?
SC's recovery from its chronic absenteeism peak is decelerating. The state's Be Present S.C. campaign and Charleston's $25/week incentive pilot represent divergent bets on what works.
chronic-absenteeism
Abbeville County: A 72% Poverty District With a 16.3% Chronic Rate
Abbeville County is 72% economically disadvantaged, yet its 16.3% chronic rate beats Dorchester Two, Richland Two, and most affluent SC districts.
demographics
One in Seven SC Students Is Now Hispanic
Hispanic enrollment in SC nearly doubled in 11 years, from 60,023 to 116,754. Without that growth, the state would have lost students.
district-spotlight
Six SC Districts Have Declined Every Year for 11 Straight Years
Colleton, Darlington, Fairfield, McCormick, Marion, and Williamsburg have lost a combined 8,634 students since 2015. All six are at all-time lows.
