SC School Report Cards
South Carolina is required by federal and state law to create annual report cards for the public with key data about how students and schools are doing.
Background & History
In South Carolina, schools and school districts have received School Report Cards since 2001.
Why Report Cards Exist
Improving school performance begins with understanding the conditions, successes, and challenges of each school. The South Carolina School Report Cards provide information to build that understanding. The information enables entire communities – educators, parents, students, business leaders and others – to ensure all students achieve at high levels.
The South Carolina School Report Cards allow parents and others to see how schools are improving toward meeting the goals the state has set. Click here to learn about those goals.
Understanding the Indicators on the Report Cards
What do the SC School Report Cards measure?
South Carolina schools are measured in several areas, called performance indicators. Federal and state law require that states measure certain indicators; others were approved by the State Superintendent of Education and the SC Education Oversight Committee for use in the school accountability system.
Click through the indicators to discover more information about each one.
School Ratings System
Why the Ratings Exist
The words used to rate schools have been extensively debated in SC, as in other states. South Carolina uses terms and definitions which are established in state law. This ratings system provides parents, teachers and stakeholders a simple way to evaluate overall whether a particular school or system is exceeding, meeting or not meeting the criteria required in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Understanding the Ratings
Each school will receive an overall Rating and each rated indicator will receive a separate rating.
What This Means
Schools receive Ratings for individual indicators as well as an Overall School Rating. Much like student grades, student indicators are rated based on five levels of performance. The highest performance level is a Rating of “Excellent” while the lowest level of performance is “Unsatisfactory.”
The Rating Scale
Excellent
School performance substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Good
School performance exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Average
School performance meets the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Below Average
School performance is in jeopardy of not meeting the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Unsatisfactory
School performance fails to meet the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.