Website Niche.com ranks District Five among the top school districts in South Carolina
February 1, 2016
Lexington-Richland School District Five has been ranked one of the top districts in South Carolina in a new listing by national reviews website Niche.com.
The site, which blends community reviews with academic data to rank schools nationally, gave the district a No. 2 ranking and an overall “A” rating. The district received A+ ratings in the “Teachers” categories and A ratings for academics and administration.
District Five Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner said, “District Five consistently ranks among the top by every measure, and we are especially proud of the Niche.com ranking. We value the opinions of the community in meeting the needs of students, and these rankings let us know that our community is pleased with the instruction, programs and services we provide in our district. We will continue to strive for excellence and a quality education for all students.”
In addition to the high ranking for the district, nearly all District Five schools were given top rankings. All twelve elementary schools in District Five were in the top 25 in South Carolina out of over 650 schools. All middle schools were in the top ten, and Dutch Fork High was ranked as the top traditional high school in the state.
Formerly the better-known College Prowler ranking site, Niche.com based its new list on ten categories, including: academics, teachers, health & safety, and facilities among other measures. Parent and student surveys make up less than 15 percent of the site’s ranking methodology and include 27 million opinions from parents and students nationwide.
The website’s ranking mirrors other recently released national and state rankings and assessments. A new report shows District Five has the third highest ACT composite score in the state. The latest U.S. News & World Report ranking placed District Five among the top in South Carolina in preparing students for college, and all three of the district’s high schools had college readiness scores above the state average.
