AIKEN, S.C. — Not a single Aiken County public school landed in the bottom tier of South Carolina’s newest school report cards, the second year running that the Aiken County Public School District has avoided an Unsatisfactory rating.
Five district schools earned the top Excellent mark for 2025-26: Aiken Scholars Academy, Highland Springs Middle, and the Hammond Hill, Millbrook and Oakwood-Windsor elementary schools. Aiken Scholars Academy led the county with an overall score of 98.
Most of the district sits in the middle of the scale. Of 40 rated schools, 18 came in at Average and 15 at Good. Three elementary schools were rated Below Average: Clearwater, Jefferson and Ridge Spring-Monetta.
District leaders reviewed the results with the school board on Oct. 13, pointing to gains in academic achievement at a large majority of middle and high schools.
The county results arrive as statewide numbers keep climbing. The South Carolina Department of Education said the count of schools rated Excellent across the state grew from 270 to 320 this year, and the share of schools in the Good or Excellent range reached 52.3%, the highest since the current rating system began in 2018.
The state also reported an on-time graduation rate of 87.5%, its best mark in a decade. Families can look up any school or district on the state report card website.
Section: More Aiken SC education news
