Historically High Graduation Rate; College/Career Ready Report Card
GCS Graduation and College/Career Ready Rates, Report Card Scores Hit Historic Highs, Assessments Outperform State, National Averages
The Greenville County Schools high school graduation rate increased to 90.6%, the highest level in GCS history. Increasing 1.9 points from the previous year, the graduation rate has risen a total of 18 points since 2012. Additionally, 85.0% of the 2024-25 graduation cohort met the markers for College or Career Readiness, which is a 20-point increase in five years.
South Carolina Department of Education Report Cards show 97.7% of GCS schools scored Excellent, Good, or Average, a 9-point increase over 2023-24. Two of every five GCS schools achieved the highest designation of Excellent for the 2024-25 school year.
GCS students outperformed their state and national peers on the 2025 SAT and ACT standardized tests. GCS students improved their passage rates on Advanced Placement exams compared to 2024.
The graduation rate, college or career readiness results, report card scores, and standardized test results all point to the impacts of the district’s Graduation Plus initiative, a focused effort from Pre-K through 12th grade to ensure GCS students graduate with a high school diploma PLUS college credit and/or industry certification.
“The record-setting graduation rate and significant gains in college- and career-readiness reflect the continued success of our Graduation Plus initiative,” said GCS Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster. “From early learning through high school, our students, staff, families, and community partners are working together to ensure that every student graduates prepared for the next step - whether that’s college, career, or military service. These results affirm that our collective commitment to academic excellence and real-world readiness is making a lasting difference for students across Greenville County Schools.”
Graduation Rate
Of the 15 GCS high schools, 11 achieved a higher graduation rate than the state, with Blue Ridge, Eastside, Fountain Inn, Greenville, Hillcrest, J.L. Mann, Mauldin, Riverside, and Woodmont High Schools each graduating more than 90% of the students who entered ninth-grade four years earlier. Fountain Inn High School’s first class of seniors had a graduation rate of 94.5%.
Greenville County Schools vs State of South Carolina - Graduation Rate
|
4-Year On-Time Graduation Rate |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Greenville County Schools |
84.8 |
85.1 |
88.7 |
90.6 |
|
State of South Carolina |
83.8 |
83.8 |
85.4 |
86.7 |
Graduation Rate by High School
|
School |
2025 Official Grad Rate - Report Card |
|---|---|
|
Mauldin HS |
96.2 |
|
Woodmont HS |
95.7 |
|
Riverside HS |
95.4 |
|
Eastside HS |
95.1 |
|
Fountain Inn HS |
94.5 |
|
Hillcrest HS |
94.5 |
|
J.L. Mann HS |
92.5 |
|
Greenville HS |
92.1 |
|
Blue Ridge HS |
91.8 |
|
Greer HS |
87.9 |
|
Wade Hampton HS |
87.4 |
|
Travelers Rest HS |
84.5 |
|
Southside HS |
84.4 |
|
Berea HS |
77.6 |
|
Carolina HS |
76.6 |
College- and Career-Ready
The percentage of students in the GCS graduation cohort who are college- and/or career-ready increased by nearly four points over 2024 and now stands nearly 10 percentage points higher than the state’s rate. CCR designations are up 12.3% over the last three years.
Greenville County Schools vs State of South Carolina – College & Career Readiness
|
% Grad Cohort – Met 1+ Markers for College OR Career Readiness |
SC |
GCS |
Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2019-20 |
61.1 |
65.6 |
+4.5 |
|
2020-21 |
61.1 |
64.6 |
+3.5 |
|
2021-22 |
65.8 |
72.7 |
+6.9 |
|
2022-23 |
64.7 |
74.7 |
+10.0 |
|
2023-24 |
71.5 |
81.1 |
+9.6 |
|
2024-25 |
75.1 |
85.0 |
+9.9 |
Report Cards
The purpose of the annual state report card is to inform and report to parents and the community the performance of entire districts as well as primary, elementary, middle, and high schools.
The annual state report card rates Academic Achievement, Preparing for Success, Student Progress, Multilingual Learners’ Progress, and School Climate for elementary, middle, and high schools. Graduation Rate, College and Career Readiness, and High School Student Success are additional rated indicators for high schools.
High schools are not rated on Student Progress, while Child Development Centers and Career Centers do not receive state report cards.
|
2025 Overall Rating |
Number of Greenville County Schools |
|---|---|
|
Excellent |
36 |
|
Good |
33 |
|
Average |
16 |
|
Below Average |
2 |
|
Unsatisfactory |
0 |
Standardized National Assessments
On the SAT test, the average total score for GCS students was 1020, which is 24 points higher than the national average (996) and 11 points higher than the state average (1009). Six high schools scored above the state and national SAT average - Riverside (1106), Wade Hampton (1079), JL Mann (1067), Greenville (1054), Mauldin (1054), and Eastside (1048).
The Class of 2025 earned an average ACT composite score of 19.6 on the ACT’s 36-point scale. This exceeds both the state and national average composite scores. Statewide, public school students recorded an average composite score of 18.2, compared to a national average composite score of 19.4. The national score reflects both public and private school test-takers. Six high schools scored above the state and national ACT average composite score - Greenville (22.7), Riverside (22.6), Eastside (21.6), Mauldin (21.2), JL Mann (21.1), and Wade Hampton (20.7).
On AP exams in 2025, the passage rate (score of 3 or higher) for GCS was 72.7%, which is an increase of more than three points over 2024. Mauldin High had the highest AP exam passage rate of 87.8%. Travelers Rest High had the second highest rate of 87.0%. J.L. Mann High Academy had the largest number of students taking AP exams (615). Greenville Senior High Academy had the largest number of AP exams taken (1,188).