2025 School Report Cards show significant progress overall, while math scores need improvement

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Monday morning, the SC Department of Education and the SC Education Oversight Committee released South Carolina’s 2025 School Report Cards — which showed significant improvements in a handful of indicators across the state.

SC Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver says the report cards (meant to measure a school’s academic success, student progress, college or career readiness, and school climate) serve as a measure of accountability, and responsibility among educators.

“And you may ask, ‘Well, why do we have school report cards in South Carolina? It’s because we want to first of all celebrate success. When good things are happening in education, we want to tell that story,” Weaver says.

Among the successes?  Nearly half of SC’s elementary schools are rated good or better. Seventeen additional middle schools received an excellent rating over last year’s rating, and SC’s high school graduation rate is at a 10 year high of around 87 %.

Weaver added that improving student learning starts with improving the lives of teachers.

“And so you are going to see me request an across the board increase for every teacher to get our minimum starting salary at least to $50,000 at least by the beginning of the next school year. We also have a number of strategic compensation initiatives that we are pursuing, the strategic compensation pilot grants, that we have just handed out the first year of those,” she says.

However, one subject — math — still needs major support statewide, says Chair of the SC Education Oversight Committee, April Allen.

“Only 44% of our 3rd through 8th graders are on grade level,” Allen says, adding that the new Palmetto Math Project provides extra support to middle schoolers who need additional help.

And, Allen adds, a new tiered stackable credential system rolling out in 2027 is meant to help high schoolers after graduation, saying, “As the system is fully implemented, we expect it will better prepare high school students for successful career paths and increase the credential currency they leave high school with.”

To view your school’s report card, and the overall state’s report card, click here.