The Current State of Education
But, the challenges are many and, unfortunately, South Carolina’s educational system is not meeting the needs of all students. We’re falling even further behind our peers around the country, a fact that we can’t ignore any longer. It’s time to get real about education and that starts with the cold, hard facts.
Statistics, Rankings, and Data
#47
SC’s 2017 ranking for 4th Grade Reading on the “Nation’s Report Card”.
Source: NAEP Release, National Center for Education Statistics
-8
Number of spots SC slipped between 2015 and 2017 on the “Nation’s Report Card”. The second largest DECLINE in the nation.
Source: NAEP Release, National Center for Education Statistics
40%
The percentage of students in grades 3-8 who are meeting grade-level expectations on SC READY, an end-of-the-school-year assessment that measures proficiency in Reading and Writing.
25%
Percentage of South Carolina high school graduates that met college ready benchmarks in mathematics in 2017.
Source: ACT Release of “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2017
20%
Only one out of 5 South Carolina high school graduates met college ready benchmarks in science in 2017.
Source: ACT Release of “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2017
6%
The percentage of SC African American students in the 2017 graduating class that met three or more college readiness benchmarks.
Source: ACT Release of “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2017
-15
The number of spots SC has slipped between 2005 and 2017 on the “Nation’s Report Card”, falling below Mississippi.
Source: NAEP Release, National Center for Education Statistics
2/3
The percentage of SC kindergartners considered “not ready” based on a 2017 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment administered to 53,927 students (64%).
Source: EOC Analysis of Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) Results, School Year 2017-18
#43
SC’s 2017 ranking for 4th Grade Math on the “Nation’s Report Card”.
Source: Source: NAEP Release, National Center for Education Statistics
40%
Percentage of 5th and 6th graders meeting grade-level expectations on SC READY, an end-of-the-school-year assessment that measures proficiency in math.
30%
Percentage of 7th and 8th graders meeting grade-level expectations on SC READY, an end-of-the-school-year assessment that measures proficiency in math.
33%
Only one out of 3 South Carolina high school graduates met college ready benchmarks in reading in 2017.
Source: ACT Release of “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2017
SC has the highest tuition costs as a percentage of average household income in the nation.
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
