Palmetto State Education Coverage, Driven by Data
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South Carolina's poorest rural districts along I-95 have chronic absenteeism rates nearly double the state average, deepening decades of educational inequality.
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.
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.
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.
The Charter Institute at Erskine grew from 8,450 to 28,376 students in seven years, becoming SC's sixth-largest district.
Hispanic enrollment in SC nearly doubled in 11 years, from 60,023 to 116,754. Without that growth, the state would have lost students.
Colleton, Darlington, Fairfield, McCormick, Marion, and Williamsburg have lost a combined 8,634 students since 2015. All six are at all-time lows.
After fully recovering from COVID and reaching a peak of 796,780 students, South Carolina lost 7,694 in a single year. The 800,000 milestone will not be reached.
South Carolina crossed the majority-minority threshold in 2019 and the shift is accelerating, driven by a 94.5% surge in Hispanic enrollment and a 14.9% drop in Black students.
SCDE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 789,086 students statewide, down 7,694 from a record high, the first non-COVID decline in a decade.