South Carolina’s 2024 school report cards show continued improvements in CCSD

Charleston County School District (CCSD) is sustaining and improving student academic performance and growth along with school climate, according to the annual report cards released by the South Carolina State Department of Education. A combined 55 schools and programs in the district are rated “Excellent” or “Good” in 2024, compared to only 38 five years ago.

Comparisons for CCSD in school report cards from 2024 to 2019 are as follows:

• 31 schools are rated “Excellent” in 2024, compared to 24 in 2019
• 24 schools are rated “Good” in 2024, compared to 14 in 2019
• 17 schools are rated either “Below Average” or “Unsatisfactory” in 2024 (out of 91 schools and programs receiving ratings), compared to 27 in 2019 (out of 89 schools and programs which received ratings that year)

“I am humbled by the dedication of our teachers and administrators, along with their commitment to supporting the whole child,” said Superintendent of Schools Anita Huggins. “While the State report card is only one data point that tells the story of a school, the results we have witnessed over the past several years have validated our system-wide efforts to improve outcomes for all children.”

This is the second straight year the district has 30 or more schools rated “Excellent.”

Comparing this year’s ratings to last year’s – all three of the schools that were “Unsatisfactory” in 2023 improved at least one level, including Edith L. Frierson Elementary School, which jumped all the way to “Excellent,” a remarkable improvement of four rating levels.

District-wide improvement was also evident in the graduation rate and students considered college and/or career-ready. CCSD’s graduation rate in 2024 increased by 1.5 percentage points to 88.8 compared to last year (87.3), and the college/career readiness rate is up by 6.9 percentage points to 80.5 (73.6 in 2023). Both rates remain ahead of the state average.

It is important to mention that several of the district’s schools and programs receive more than one report card and more than one rating. For example, a school with elementary and middle grades receives both elementary and middle report cards and similarly, a school with middle and high grades receives both middle and high report cards and ratings. Additionally, primary schools do not receive state report card ratings.

“We are encouraged with the news that more and more of our schools are sustaining or improving their report card ratings, especially when you couple that with our best performance system-wide on the SC READY ELA and Math assessments,” explained Chief Academic Officer Michelle Simmons. “We know we still have more work to do, but we hope our community can celebrate these indicators with us, proving we are on the right path in our service to students and their families.”

For more information, visit the state website or call CCSD’s Office of Communications at (843) 937-6303.