SC ranks its best and worst schools for 2025. See how your child’s school is doing

South Carolina schools had better test scores and the on-time graduation rate was 86.7%, a 10-year high, according to the 2025 South Carolina School Report Cards released Monday.

But, the report found 75.1% of students are either career or college ready and 180 of 1,285 schools ranked either below average or unsatisfactory.

The state’s goal is for every child to graduate college, career, or military ready, and that by 2030, at least 75% of students at or above grade level.

The South Carolina Department of Education and South Carolina Education Oversight Committee release report cards each year for all the schools in the state and measure academic achievement, student progress, college and career readiness, and school climate.

Reports for individual schools can be searched online on the Department of Education’s website. The number of schools earning an overall rating of ‘Good’ or excellent increased from 549 to 623.

2025 SC school rankings

• 270 schools ranked excellent
• 353 ranked good
• 485 ranked average
• 145 ranked below average
• 32 ranked unsatisfactory

“These report cards tell a clear story: South Carolina students and educators are rolling up their sleeves and getting results,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver said in a news release. “From the Lowcountry to the Upstate, we’re proving that when teachers are empowered, communities are engaged, and high expectations meet strong support students soar.”

Highlights include:

• Nearly half of South Carolina’s elementary schools are rated Good or better and more than a quarter improved their overall rating from 2024 to 2025.
• The percentage of elementary schools earning a Good or better on the ‘Academic Achievement’ and ‘Student Progress’ indicators rating increased 3% and 7% respectively over 2024.
• Nearly one in three middle schools improved their overall ratings from 2024 to 2025 and the ranking improved from good or better for student progress’ from 22% in 2024 to 40% in 2025.
• The percentage of high schools earning a good or better on the college/career readiness increased from 63% in 2024 to 75% in 2025.

“Our state report cards show that South Carolina’s on-time graduation rate for high school students remains high at 86.7%. This is great news, but we also acknowledge the need for an increase in students who are college and career ready,” said Education Oversight Committee Chair April Allen.

This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 12:40 PM.