Hunter Street Elementary School was the only York School District One school rated Excellent on the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards, released Monday by the South Carolina Department of Education, as two of the district’s elementary schools dropped a rating level.
Of York’s eight schools, three were rated Good and four were rated Average. None was rated Below Average or Unsatisfactory. A year ago, two schools were rated Excellent and three were rated Average.
The district’s upper grades moved the other way. York Middle School, York Intermediate School and York Comprehensive High School all raised their scores, though each remained in the Average range. Districtwide, the share of students meeting state math standards rose nearly seven points, bringing York within three points of the state average.
The report cards are the state’s yearly public accounting of how every school and district performs. Statewide, the number of schools rated Excellent rose from 270 to 320, according to the department, which said some of the strongest gains came at high poverty schools. About 66 percent of York’s students live in poverty, according to the district’s report card, more than double the share in Fort Mill.
How the Schools Rated
Hunter Street Elementary scored 65 points, down from 68, and was rated Excellent in both Academic Achievement and Student Progress, the indicator that measures how much students improve from one year to the next.
Jefferson Elementary School fell from Excellent to Good, dropping six points to 57. Cotton Belt Elementary School slipped from Good to Average after falling six points to 52, one point below the Good range for elementary schools.
Harold C. Johnson Elementary School was rated Good with 54 points, up from 53, and earned an Excellent rating for school climate. Hickory Grove Sharon Elementary School was rated Good with 53 points, down from 55.
York Middle posted the district’s largest gain, rising seven points to 44. York Intermediate rose three points to 46. York Comprehensive High scored 55, up from 51, and earned Good ratings for both graduation rate and college and career readiness.
Reading and Math
On the SC READY tests taken by students in grades three through eight, 53.5 percent of York students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, up from 52.1 percent last year and 46.5 percent in 2024. The state average was 61.5 percent.
Math showed the sharper gain. The share of York students meeting or exceeding expectations rose to 45.2 percent from 38.4 percent, compared with 47.8 percent statewide. Two years ago, York trailed the state by about six points.
On the Algebra 1 end of course exam, 44.2 percent of York students scored a C or higher, up from 31.8 percent in 2025 and 25.5 percent in 2024. Scores also rose sharply across the state, where 67.1 percent earned a C or better. In English 2, 60.5 percent of York students scored a C or higher, compared with 67.8 percent statewide.
Science remains the district’s weakest area. On the SC READY science test, 42.8 percent of students met expectations, compared with 51.8 percent statewide. Only 28.1 percent passed the biology exam with a C or better, and the U.S. History and the Constitution passing rate fell to 37.6 percent from 47.4 percent.
Graduation and College Readiness
Of the 394 students in York’s graduating class, 340 earned diplomas within four years, a rate of 86.3 percent, up from 83.7 percent and just below the state’s 87.5 percent. The district’s rate has swung widely in recent years, from 81 percent in 2023 to 93.9 percent in 2024 before falling the following year. The annual dropout rate fell to 0.6 percent from 2.3 percent.
Students with disabilities graduated at 66.2 percent, and students from economically disadvantaged families graduated at 80.3 percent. The state release named closing gaps for students with disabilities as a major priority.
The report card lists 75.1 percent of York’s graduating class as college or career ready, up from 66.8 percent last year but below the state’s 78.9 percent. The share of the prior year’s graduates who enrolled in college the following fall fell to 43.6 percent from 58.3 percent. The number of seniors completing the federal student aid application rose to 226 from 161.
York students who took the SAT averaged 963, compared with 1,013 statewide. Students passed 82.7 percent of the 133 Advanced Placement exams they took.
Early Grades and Attendance
Just 26.8 percent of York’s kindergartners demonstrated readiness to learn when they enrolled, compared with 38.5 percent statewide.
Chronic absenteeism, reported from the prior school year, fell to 23.4 percent from 27.6 percent but remains well above the rates in neighboring districts.
What’s Next
In his narrative on the report card, Superintendent Heath Branham wrote that the district spent the year preparing to reorganize around Professional Learning Communities this school year, with teachers working in collaborative teams focused on student results. He also pointed to planning and construction for White Hill Middle School and continued development of the Western York County Agricultural Arena.
The district employed 354 teachers, up from 316, and spent $16,204 per student in the prior fiscal year, up from $14,971. The district enrolled 4,927 students.
Full report cards for each school and the district are posted at screportcards.com.
York School Ratings at a Glance
2026 overall rating and score, with 2025 in parentheses
High School
York Comprehensive High: Average, 55 (Average, 51)
Middle and Intermediate Schools
York Intermediate: Average, 46 (Average, 43)
York Middle: Average, 44 (Average, 37)
Elementary Schools
Hunter Street Elementary: Excellent, 65 (Excellent, 68)
Jefferson Elementary: Good, 57 (Excellent, 63)
Harold C. Johnson Elementary: Good, 54 (Good, 53)
Hickory Grove Sharon Elementary: Good, 53 (Good, 55)
Cotton Belt Elementary: Average, 52 (Good, 58)
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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.
