The 2025 Niche.com rankings for South Carolina schools provide a snapshot of district and individual school performance. While rankings offer valuable insights, it’s important to consider them alongside other factors when evaluating educational quality. This article includes all schools listed in the provided data, ranked and unranked, to offer a more complete picture.
District-Level Rankings:
- Fort Mill School District (FMSD): #1 in South Carolina
- Clover School District (CSD): #3 in South Carolina
- Rock Hill School District (RHSD): #30 in South Carolina
- York School District (YSD): #37 in South Carolina
- Lancaster School District (LSD): #40 in South Carolina
High Schools:
- Fort Mill: Catawba Ridge High School (#7), Fort Mill High School (#11), Nation Ford High School (#14)
- Clover: Clover High School (#36)
- Lancaster: Indian Land High School (#70), Lancaster High School (Not Ranked)
- York: York Preparatory Academy (#101), York Comprehensive High School (Not Ranked)
- Rock Hill: Northwestern High School (#105), South Pointe High School (#118), Rock Hill High School (Not Ranked), Riverwalk Academy (Not Ranked)
Middle Schools:
- Fort Mill: Springfield Middle School (#1), Pleasant Knoll Middle School (#2), Gold Hill Middle School (#3), Fort Mill Middle School (#4), Forest Creek Middle School (#5), Banks Trail Middle School (#6)
- Clover: Oakridge Middle School (#13), Clover Middle School (#44)
- York: York Middle School (#172), York Intermediate School (#158)
- Rock Hill: Dutchman Creek Middle School (#138), Saluda Trail Middle School (#164), W.C. Sullivan Middle School (#173), Castle Heights Middle School (Not Ranked), Rawlinson Road Middle School (Not Ranked), The Palmetto School at the Children’s Attention Home (Not Ranked)
- Lancaster: Indian Land Intermediate (#48), Indian Land Middle School (#65), Andrew Jackson Middle School (Not Ranked), Buford Middle School (Not Ranked), A.R. Rucker Middle School (Not Ranked), South Middle School (Not Ranked)
Elementary Schools:
- Fort Mill: Gold Hill Elementary (#1), Tega Cay Elementary (#2), Pleasant Knoll Elementary (#3), Kings Town Elementary (#4), River Trail Elementary (#5), Doby’s Bridge Elementary (#6), Sugar Creek Elementary (#7), Springfield Elementary (#8), Orchard Park Elementary (#9), Fort Mill Elementary (#10), Riverview Elementary (#13)
- Clover: Oakridge Elementary (#15), Crowders Creek Elementary (#36), Griggs Road Elementary (#45), Bethel Elementary (#64), Larne Elementary (#106), Bethany Elementary (#186), Kinard Elementary (#226)
- Lancaster: Harrisburg Elementary School (#128), Indian Land Elementary School (#133), Van Wyck Elementary (#137), Buford Elementary School (#178), North Elementary School (#296), Discovery Charter of Lancaster (#298), McDonald Green Elementary (#372), Kershaw Elementary (Not Ranked), Heath Springs Elementary (Not Ranked), Erwin Elementary (Not Ranked), Brooklyn Springs Elementary (Not Ranked), Clinton Elementary (Not Ranked)
- York: Hunter Street Elementary School (#256), Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary School (Not Ranked), Jefferson Elementary School (Not Ranked), Cotton Belt Elementary School (Not Ranked), Harold C. Johnson Elementary School (Not Ranked)
- Rock Hill: Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Information (#125), Mount Gallant Elementary School (#171), Lesslie Elementary School (#269), India Hook Elementary School (#284), Ebenezer Avenue Elementary School (#294), Old Point Elementary School (#310), Mount Holly Elementary School (#316), Oakdale Elementary School (#345), Ebinport Elementary School (Not Ranked), Sunset Park Center for Accelerate Studies (Not Ranked), Richmond Drive Elementary School (Not Ranked), Northside Elementary School (Not Ranked), Independence Elementary School (Not Ranked), York Road Elementary School (Not Ranked), The Palmetto School at the Children’s Attention Home (Not Ranked)
Important Considerations:
While the rankings offer a comparative view, they don’t capture the full picture of a school’s environment or how well it meets individual student needs. Factors like class size, specific programs offered, school culture, and parent involvement play a crucial role. Visiting schools, speaking with educators, and considering your child’s unique learning style are essential steps in choosing the right school. The inclusion of unranked schools in this list emphasizes that a lack of ranking doesn’t necessarily indicate poor quality; it simply means the school may not have been evaluated by Niche.com’s criteria.
Sign up for our Sunday Spectator. Delivered to your inbox every Sunday, with all the news from the week.
