New High Marks for Graduation Rate, College/Career Ready Rates and Report Cards
GCS Graduation and College/Career Ready Rates Hit Historic High for Third Year in a Row
Greenville County Schools is one of the first school districts in South Carolina to surpass 90% in graduation rate, college or career readiness and Excellent, Good or Average report cards for all district schools.
The GCS high school graduation rate increased to 92.2%, the highest level in GCS history. Increasing 1.6 points from the previous year, the graduation rate has risen nearly 20 points since 2012. Additionally, 90.5% of the 2025-26 graduation cohort met the markers for College or Career Readiness, topping 90% for the first time in District history.
South Carolina Department of Education Report Cards show 98.9% of GCS schools scored Excellent, Good, or Average, an increase over 2024-25. More than one-third of GCS schools achieved the highest designation of Excellent for the 2025-26 school year.
GCS students outperformed their state and national peers on the 2026 SAT and increased their passage rates on Advanced Placement exams compared to 2025.
The graduation rate, college or career readiness results, report card scores, and standardized test results all point to the GCS Advantage students experience thanks to the 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.
“These historic results demonstrate what is possible when we maintain high expectations for every student and provide them with the opportunities and support they need to succeed,” said GCS Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster. “A record graduation rate, more than 90% of graduates demonstrating college or career readiness, strong school report cards, and outstanding performance on national assessments reflect excellence across our entire district. Through Graduation Plus, we are focused not simply on helping students earn a diploma, but on ensuring they leave Greenville County Schools prepared with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to succeed in college, career, military service, and life. That is the GCS Advantage in action, and it is the result of the extraordinary work of our students, educators, staff, families, the Board of Trustees, and community partners.”
Graduation Rate
Of the 15 GCS high schools, 12 achieved a higher graduation rate than the state, with Riverside, Fountain Inn, Woodmont, Hillcrest, Mauldin, Eastside, Blue Ridge, Wade Hampton, Greenville, J.L. Mann and Southside each graduating more than 90% of the students who entered ninth-grade four years earlier.
Greenville County Schools vs State of South Carolina - Graduation Rate
|
4-Year On-Time Graduation Rate |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Greenville County Schools |
85.1 |
88.7 |
90.6 |
92.2 |
|
State of South Carolina |
83.8 |
85.4 |
86.7 |
87.5 |
Graduation Rate by High School
|
School |
2026 Official Grad Rate - Report Card |
|---|---|
|
Riverside HS |
97.3 |
|
Fountain Inn HS |
96.8 |
|
Woodmont HS |
94.7 |
|
Hillcrest HS |
94.3 |
|
Mauldin HS |
94.2 |
|
Eastside HS |
93.8 |
|
Blue Ridge HS |
92.3 |
|
Wade Hampton HS |
92.2 |
|
Greenville HS |
92.1 |
|
J.L. Mann HS |
91.3 |
|
Southside HS |
90.3 |
|
Greer HS |
89.5 |
|
Travelers Rest HS |
86.8 |
|
Carolina HS |
85.8 |
|
Berea HS |
85.8 |
College and Career Ready
The percentage of students in the GCS graduation cohort who are college or career ready (CCR) increased by more than five points over 2025 and now stands nearly 12 percentage points higher than the state’s rate. GCS students’ CCR designations are up 24.9 points over the last six 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 |
|
2025-26 |
78.9 |
90.5 |
+11.6 |
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.
|
2026 Overall Rating |
Number of Greenville County Schools |
|---|---|
|
Excellent |
32 |
|
Good |
30 |
|
Average |
25 |
|
Below Average |
0 |
|
Unsatisfactory |
1* |
*Washington Center is a highly specialized school serving students with intellectual disabilities, many of whom are medically fragile. This is the first time the Washington Center has received a Report Card rating, and the rating is based on standardized test results for only 20 middle school students. Although interpretation of federal and state statute requires it, Greenville County Schools maintains that standardized testing is not appropriate for students at Washington Center because the results provide no meaningful information to inform their instruction and are not relevant to their Individualized Education Plans (IEP). The District asserts that the rating does not accurately reflect the work of Washington Center staff or the progress made by the students they serve.
Standardized National Assessments
On the SAT test, the average total score for GCS students was 1024, which is 13 points higher than the national average (1011) and 11 points higher than the state average (1013). Seven high schools scored above the state and national SAT average - Riverside (1115), Wade Hampton (1064), J.L. Mann (1053), Mauldin (1051), Eastside (1048), Greenville (1045), and Fountain Inn (1030).
On AP exams in 2026, the passage rate (score of 3 or higher) for GCS was 76.4%, which is an increase of nearly four points over 2025. Travelers Rest High had the highest AP exam passage rate of 96.5%. Mauldin High had the second highest rate of 86.8%. J.L. Mann High Academy had the largest number of students taking AP exams (646) and the largest number of AP exams taken (1,243).