Nine Lancaster County School District schools earned the state’s top overall rating of Excellent on the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards, released Monday by the South Carolina Department of Education, up from seven a year ago. Indian Land High School posted the highest score in the district.
The number of schools rated Below Average fell from four to two. Erwin Elementary School dropped into that category, while Lancaster High School was rated Below Average for the second straight year.
The results show sharp districtwide gains. Lancaster County students now outscore the state on every major state test, and the district’s graduation rate climbed above the state average.
The report cards are the state’s yearly public accounting of how every school and district performs. Lancaster County School District enrolls 15,305 students, from the fast growing Indian Land area near the North Carolina line to the city of Lancaster and the county’s rural communities.
Indian Land Schools
Indian Land High scored 75 points, up from 69, and earned Excellent ratings for graduation rate, college and career readiness and high school student success.
Indian Land Middle School posted the biggest gain among the area’s schools, rising 10 points to 49 and moving from Average to Good. It was rated Excellent in Academic Achievement but Below Average in Student Progress, the indicator that measures how much students improve from one year to the next.
Indian Land Elementary School scored 70 points, up from 67, tying Harrisburg Elementary School for the top elementary score in the district. Indian Land Intermediate School was rated Excellent with 62 points, down from 63. Van Wyck Elementary School moved from Good to Excellent, rising two points to 62.
Across the County
Buford High School scored 72 points and held its Excellent rating. Andrew Jackson High School rose four points to 67, moving from Good to Excellent.
Buford Elementary School gained seven points to reach 62, moving from Good to Excellent. Kershaw Elementary School rose to 64 and was one of two Lancaster County schools rated Excellent in Student Progress.
North Elementary School posted the largest gain in the district, rising 11 points to 54 and moving from Average to Good. Brooklyn Springs Elementary School climbed from Below Average to Average with a seven point gain, and Clinton Elementary School rose seven points to 50.
A.R. Rucker Middle School and South Middle School each moved from Below Average to Average, gaining six and seven points.
Several schools slipped. Discovery Charter of Lancaster fell 20 points, from Excellent to Good, with 55 points. Andrew Jackson Middle School dropped from Good to Average. Erwin Elementary fell seven points to 40, moving from Average to Below Average.
Lancaster High scored 49, up from 47, but remained Below Average. It was the only Lancaster County school rated Unsatisfactory for school climate, though it earned a Good rating for college and career readiness.
Reading and Math
On the SC READY tests taken by students in grades three through eight, 67.3 percent of Lancaster County students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, up from 63 percent last year and 56.5 percent in 2024. The state average was 61.5 percent.
In math, 60.6 percent met or exceeded expectations, up from 55.9 percent, compared with 47.8 percent statewide.
On the Algebra 1 end of course exam, 73.3 percent of students scored a C or higher, up from 57.4 percent. Scores also rose sharply across the state, where 67.1 percent earned a C or better. In English 2, 73.6 percent scored a C or higher, compared with 67.8 percent statewide.
Lancaster County also topped the state in science. On the SC READY science test, 60.4 percent met expectations, up from 55.8 percent, compared with 51.8 percent statewide. The district also beat state averages on the biology and U.S. History and the Constitution exams.
Graduation and College Readiness
Of the 1,100 students in Lancaster County’s graduating class, 969 earned diplomas within four years, a rate of 88.1 percent, slightly above the state’s 87.5 percent. The district’s rate has risen each year since 2023, when it stood at 83.3 percent.
The annual dropout rate rose to 2.3 percent from 1.7 percent. Students with disabilities graduated at 77 percent, and students from economically disadvantaged families graduated at 80.7 percent.
The report card lists 78.1 percent of the graduating class as college or career ready, up from 72.6 percent, and 37.9 percent as both college and career ready, above the state’s 31.9 percent.
The share of graduates eligible for the state’s LIFE Scholarship fell to 60.5 percent from 83.5 percent.
Lancaster County tested 81.3 percent of its students on the SAT, compared with about half statewide, and posted an average score of 975, compared with 1,013 statewide. Students passed 73.4 percent of the 654 Advanced Placement exams they took.
Classrooms and Climate
The district employed 848 teachers and spent $13,829 per student in the prior fiscal year, up from $12,913. Chronic absenteeism, reported from the prior school year, fell to 20 percent from 21.5 percent. About half of the district’s students live in poverty.
In state surveys, 94 percent of responding parents agreed their child feels safe at school. The district reported one incident of possession of a firearm or explosive and expelled 37 students.
Full report cards for each school and the district are posted at screportcards.com.
Lancaster County School Ratings at a Glance
2026 overall rating and score, with 2025 in parentheses
High Schools
Indian Land High: Excellent, 75 (Excellent, 69)
Buford High: Excellent, 72 (Excellent, 71)
Andrew Jackson High: Excellent, 67 (Good, 63)
Lancaster High: Below Average, 49 (Below Average, 47)
Middle Schools
Indian Land Middle: Good, 49 (Average, 39)
Andrew Jackson Middle: Average, 43 (Good, 48)
Buford Middle: Average, 43 (Average, 43)
South Middle: Average, 42 (Below Average, 35)
A.R. Rucker Middle: Average, 39 (Below Average, 33)
Elementary and Intermediate Schools
Harrisburg Elementary: Excellent, 70 (Excellent, 67)
Indian Land Elementary: Excellent, 70 (Excellent, 67)
Kershaw Elementary: Excellent, 64 (Excellent, 62)
Buford Elementary: Excellent, 62 (Good, 55)
Indian Land Intermediate: Excellent, 62 (Excellent, 63)
Van Wyck Elementary: Excellent, 62 (Good, 60)
McDonald Green Elementary: Good, 54 (Good, 58)
North Elementary: Good, 54 (Average, 43)
Heath Springs Elementary: Average, 52 (Average, 48)
Clinton Elementary: Average, 50 (Average, 43)
Brooklyn Springs Elementary: Average, 46 (Below Average, 39)
Erwin Elementary: Below Average, 40 (Average, 47)
Charter
Discovery Charter of Lancaster: Good, 55 (Excellent, 75)
Sources:
South Carolina Department of Education, 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards for Lancaster County School District and its 22 schools (screportcards.com)
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