Greenville County Schools is Reaching Higher!

The 2026 State Report Cards results released yesterday include incredible achievement for Greenville County Schools students across the district. GCS is one of the first school districts in South Carolina to reach the 90-90-90 milestone of surpassing 90% in all three of these major achievement areas:

• For the second year in a row, the graduation rate has surpassed 90%—reaching 92.2% for the Class of 2026, a 19.8-point increase since 2012!
• 90.5% of the Class of 2026 graduated college- or career-ready, a 24.9-point improvement over six years!
• 98.9% of GCS schools were rated excellent, good, or average—a 10.5-point increase in two years! 

Earning a place in the 90-90-90 Club is a powerful reflection of the GCS Advantage in action. This achievement belongs to our students and the educators and staff who support them, as well as our administrators, Board of Trustees, families, and community partners whose collective commitment helps every student reach higher. These results emphasize the powerful advantage of a Greenville County Schools education, where there are Stronger Communities, Greater Opportunities!

In August, we shared how elementary and middle school students outperformed the state on SC READY English Language Arts, Math and Science assessments and high school students outperformed the state on the English II, Biology I and US History End-of-Course Exams. 74.4% of GCS students who took South Carolina’s Career Ready Assessment in spring 2026 earned a credential, outperforming the state rate of 69.0%. In addition to outperforming the state, the district maintained a trend of steady growth in all subject areas across all levels over a three-year period. 

These results demonstrate the continuous growth, achievement, and excellence happening throughout our schools and the greater community and are a testament to what can be accomplished when we are Reaching Higher together. At the forefront of this effort is Graduation Plus, ensuring every student, pre-K through 12th grade, has the opportunity to earn a diploma plus college credit and/or industry certification and to be prepared for success in college, careers, military service, the workforce, and life.

“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, careers, 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.”

We are proud to share these accomplishments with our entire community, as we are Reaching Higher together. For GCS’s continual progress and how it compares to the state, view this release and the State of the District Report.