Aiken County Public School District (ACPSD) continues to see gains in student achievement and school performance, with nearly half of its schools earning Good or Excellent ratings on the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards, the district's second-highest percentage since the state began issuing report cards 20 years ago.
According to the newly released results, 48.8% of ACPSD schools received Good or Excellent overall ratings, continuing an upward trend from 27.5% in 2024 and 39.1% in 2025. For the second consecutive year, no district schools received an Unsatisfactory rating.
Five schools earned the state's highest overall rating of Excellent: Hammond Hill Elementary, Millbrook Elementary, Oakwood-Windsor Elementary, Highland Springs Middle, and Aiken Scholars Academy (ASA), a distinction received for the fifth consecutive year. ASA was also recently named the number one high school in South Carolina and the Augusta-Aiken area for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, ranking 14th nationally.
“These results reflect the tremendous work taking place in our classrooms every day,” District Superintendent Dr. Corey Murphy said. “Our teachers, school leaders, and support teams have remained focused on strengthening instruction, identifying individual student needs, and helping every child make meaningful progress. We're encouraged by these results, particularly the improvements we're seeing across our middle and high schools, and are committed to continuing that progress.”
Academic achievement improved across all school levels, with 52.4% of elementary schools, 91.7% of middle schools, and 88% of high schools demonstrating improvement as measured by state English language arts and mathematics assessments, including SC READY at the elementary and middle school levels and end-of-course assessments at the high school level.
“What is especially encouraging is the progress we're seeing across schools and grade levels,” said Dr. Amy Edwards, ACPSD Chief Officer of Instruction. “Our teachers and school leaders have focused on clear academic goals, using student performance data to guide instruction, and providing additional support where it's needed most. We're seeing that work make a difference, particularly in middle school mathematics, where every school demonstrated improvement. We still have areas where we need to grow, but these results show we're moving in the right direction.”
High schools demonstrated particularly strong results, with 75% earning Good or Excellent overall ratings. All district high schools received Good or Excellent ratings in College and Career Readiness, with six earning Excellent ratings in that category. Graduation Rate was another area of strength, with 88% of high schools earning Good or Excellent ratings.
The report cards also recognize progress at individual schools. Eleven district schools improved by an entire proficiency category, while Belvedere Elementary, Chukker Creek Elementary, and Wagener-Salley High School finished just fractions of a point from an overall Excellent rating.
The results follow encouraging state assessment data Edwards presented to the Board of Education in September. Among the highlights, all 12 middle schools increased the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in mathematics. Middle school science performance also improved across the district.
District leaders attribute the progress to a continued focus on aligned instructional practices, clear academic goals, regular review of student performance, and targeted academic support. Additional instructional resources and school-based support are being directed toward areas where further improvement is needed, including elementary mathematics.
“Our goal is not simply to improve school ratings, but to ensure that more students are learning, growing, and developing the knowledge and skills they need for success,” Murphy added. “These results give us reason to celebrate while reinforcing the importance of staying focused on student achievement.”
The complete 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards, including individual school ratings and performance data, are available to the public at https://screportcards.com/explore-districts/.
###