Rock Hill Schools ranked 36th of 74 school districts in South Carolina in Niche’s 2027 Best Schools and Districts rankings, earning an overall grade of B from the school review website.
The district placed third of four districts in York County and ninth of 10 in the Charlotte area in Niche’s Best School Districts category. In York County, the Fort Mill School District ranked first.
Niche’s rankings are widely used by families comparing schools before buying or renting a home, and they draw attention in York County, where four districts sit side by side. Rock Hill Schools serves most of the city of Rock Hill and surrounding parts of the county.
Most diverse in the region
Rock Hill’s strongest showing came in Niche’s diversity measures. The district ranked as the Most Diverse School District in both the Charlotte area and York County, sixth in South Carolina and 248th of 11,167 districts nationally.
Niche also ranked Rock Hill Schools eighth in South Carolina and 468th of 10,050 nationally for Best School Districts for Athletes. In that category the district placed third in the Charlotte area and third in York County.
The district ranked lower as a workplace. Niche placed it 57th of 74 in South Carolina for Best Places to Teach, eighth of 10 in the Charlotte area and third of four in York County.
On Niche’s site, Rock Hill Schools holds a 3.98 out of 5 rating from 109 reviews.
Elementary schools
Mount Gallant Elementary School ranked highest among Rock Hill’s elementary schools, placing 142nd of 718 public elementary schools in South Carolina with an overall grade of A minus. Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion followed at 153rd, also with an A minus.
India Hook Elementary ranked 269th with a B+. Ebinport, Ebenezer Avenue and Oakdale elementary schools placed between 325th and 332nd, followed by Mount Holly at 349th, Lesslie at 362nd, Independence at 364th and Old Pointe at 375th. All of those schools received a B.
Five other district schools that serve elementary grades did not receive a published state rank: Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies and Northside Elementary, both graded B minus; York Road and Richmond Drive elementary schools, both graded C+; and The Palmetto School at the Children’s Attention Home, graded C.
Middle schools
Dutchman Creek Middle School ranked highest among the district’s middle schools at 125th of 356 in the state. W.C. Sullivan Middle School placed 138th and Saluda Trail Middle School 148th. All three received a B.
Castle Heights and Rawlinson Road middle schools, both graded B minus, did not receive a published state rank.
High schools
Northwestern High School ranked 99th of 264 public high schools in South Carolina, the best showing among the district’s three high schools. South Pointe High School placed 138th. Both received a B.
Rock Hill High School, the district’s largest by enrollment on Niche’s list at 1,980 students, received a B minus and did not receive a published state rank.
Niche removed SAT and ACT scores from its high school formula this year, saying colleges now give less weight to test scores in admissions.
How the rankings work
Niche builds its rankings from U.S. Department of Education data, state test results, graduation rates, college readiness measures and reviews submitted by students, parents and educators. Elementary and middle school rankings also factor in the overall quality of the school district.
The full list of rankings is posted on the Rock Hill Schools profile at niche.com.
Rock Hill Schools in Niche’s 2027 South Carolina rankings
Elementary schools, of 718
142. Mount Gallant Elementary (A minus)
153. Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion (A minus)
269. India Hook Elementary (B+)
325. Ebinport Elementary (B)
326. Ebenezer Avenue Elementary (B)
332. Oakdale Elementary (B)
349. Mount Holly Elementary (B)
362. Lesslie Elementary (B)
364. Independence Elementary (B)
375. Old Pointe Elementary (B)
Unranked: Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies (B minus), Northside Elementary (B minus), York Road Elementary (C+), Richmond Drive Elementary (C+), The Palmetto School at the Children’s Attention Home (C)
Middle schools, of 356
125. Dutchman Creek Middle (B)
138. W.C. Sullivan Middle (B)
148. Saluda Trail Middle (B)
Unranked: Castle Heights Middle (B minus), Rawlinson Road Middle (B minus)
High schools, of 264
99. Northwestern High (B)
138. South Pointe High (B)
Unranked: Rock Hill High (B minus)
Sources: Niche 2027 Rock Hill Schools Rankings page and 2027 Best Public Elementary, Middle and High Schools in Rock Hill Schools lists, niche.com; Niche 2027 Fort Mill School District Rankings page, niche.com.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
