The Clover School District ranked third of 74 school districts in South Carolina in Niche’s 2027 Best Schools and Districts rankings and earned an overall grade of A from the school review website.
Nationally, Clover placed 556th of 10,449 districts. It ranked second of 10 districts in the Charlotte area and second of four in York County, behind the Fort Mill School District in both.
For families in Clover and Lake Wylie, the rankings place the district among the best in the state, and every one of its 10 schools on Niche’s lists received a published state rank. Seven of those schools earned an A or A minus at the elementary level, and both middle schools and the high school landed in the top fifth of their statewide lists.
District rankings
Niche ranked Clover the Best School District for Athletes in both the Charlotte area and York County. The district placed fifth in South Carolina and 221st of 10,050 nationally in that category.
Clover also ranked well as a workplace. It placed eighth in South Carolina for Best Places to Teach and 11th for Districts with the Best Teachers. In the Charlotte area, it ranked second in both categories. Nationally, it placed 920th of 11,060 for Best Places to Teach.
In Niche’s Most Diverse School Districts ranking, Clover placed 52nd in the state, ninth in the Charlotte area and fourth of four in York County.
On Niche’s site, the district holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating from 69 reviews.
Elementary schools
Oakridge Elementary School led the district, ranking 13th of 718 public elementary schools in South Carolina with a grade of A. Only 10 Fort Mill schools and two schools from the Greenville and Columbia areas placed ahead of it.
Bethel Elementary followed at 41st, Crowders Creek Elementary at 46th and Griggs Road Elementary at 54th, all graded A. Crowders Creek is the district’s largest elementary school on Niche’s list, with 1,104 students. Bethel is the smallest, with 353.
Larne Elementary ranked 89th, Kinard Elementary 147th and Bethany Elementary 181st. All three received an A minus.
All seven Clover elementary schools placed in the top 26 percent of the state list.
Middle schools
Oakridge Middle School ranked 13th of 356 public middle schools in the state with a grade of A. That is the highest placement for any York County middle school outside the Fort Mill School District, which holds the top six spots in the state.
Clover Middle School ranked 38th with an A minus.
High school
Clover High School ranked 42nd of 264 public high schools in South Carolina and received an A minus.
With 2,713 students on Niche’s list, Clover High is the largest high school among York County’s four districts. It holds a 3.99 out of 5 rating from 509 reviews.
In York County, Clover High ranked behind Fort Mill’s three high schools and ahead of every high school in Rock Hill Schools and York School District One.
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 Clover School District profile at niche.com.
Clover School District in Niche’s 2027 South Carolina rankings
Elementary schools, of 718
13. Oakridge Elementary (A)
41. Bethel Elementary (A)
46. Crowders Creek Elementary (A)
54. Griggs Road Elementary (A)
89. Larne Elementary (A minus)
147. Kinard Elementary (A minus)
181. Bethany Elementary (A minus)
Middle schools, of 356
13. Oakridge Middle (A)
38. Clover Middle (A minus)
High schools, of 264
42. Clover High (A minus)
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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.
