Public education in South Carolina

K-12 education in South Carolina

Education facts

State superintendent: Ellen Weaver

Number of students: 751,660

Number of teachers: 51,158

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:14.6

Number of school districts: 79

Number of schools: 1,167

Graduation rate: 81%

Per-pupil spending: $11,532

See also

South Carolina Department of Education • List of school districts in South Carolina • South Carolina • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in South Carolina Glossary of education terms

Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

The South Carolina public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, South Carolina had 751,660 students enrolled in a total of 1,167 schools in 79 school districts. There were 51,158 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, South Carolina spent on average $11,532 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 81 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how South Carolina compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in South Carolina
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
South Carolina	1,167	79	751,660	51,158	1:14.6	$11,532
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee), South Carolina had the smallest share of fourth grade students who scored at or above proficient in both math and reading.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
South Carolina	35%	31%	28%	29%
Georgia	39%	29%	34%	32%
North Carolina	45%	36%	35%	33%
Tennessee	40%	28%	34%	33%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for South Carolina and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

South Carolina schools reported a graduation rate of 77.6 percent, second lowest among its neighboring states.

In South Carolina, more students took the SAT than the ACT, earning an average SAT score of 1436.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
South Carolina	77.6%	Fourth	20.4	51%	1436	64%
Georgia	71.7%	Fifth	20.7	51%	1452	75%
North Carolina	82.5%	Third	18.7	100%	1479	62%
Tennessee	86.3%	Second	19.5	100%	1709	8%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for South Carolina was lower than the national average at 2.8 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in South Carolina

As of June 2015, school choice options in South Carolina included charter schools, a tax incentive program, inter-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 7.46 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

South Carolina is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: South Carolina state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

South Carolina spent approximately 17.6 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. South Carolina spent a smaller percentage of its total budget on public education than any of its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
South Carolina	17.6%	$9,514	9.9%	46.3%	43.8%
Georgia	24.1%	$9,099	10.3%	43.4%	46.2%
North Carolina	24.8%	$8,390	12.4%	62%	25.6%
Tennessee	17.8%	$8,208	13.1%	46.1%	40.8%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the United States

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In South Carolina, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $3.8 billion. South Carolina reported the lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
South Carolina	$814,137	$3,819,285	$3,608,526	$8,241,948
Georgia	$1,805,878	$7,577,585	$8,065,837	$17,449,300
North Carolina	$1,579,889	$7,891,977	$3,257,536	$12,729,402
Tennessee	$1,165,801	$4,097,627	$3,622,027	$8,885,455
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in South Carolina totaled approximately $8 billion in fiscal year 2012. South Carolina reported the lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
South Carolina	$6,600,733	$889,985	$465,351	$7,956,070
Georgia	$15,623,633	$1,566,186	$275,277	$17,465,095
North Carolina	$12,303,426	$683,545	$73,186	$13,060,157
Tennessee	$8,351,056	$664,129	$280,056	$9,295,241
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in South Carolina, the average salary decreased by 2.8 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
South Carolina	$49,308	$50,712	$48,217	$47,924	-2.8%
Georgia	$56,062	$56,694	$53,819	$52,880	-5.7%
North Carolina	$53,849	$50,010	$46,712	$45,947	-14.7%
Tennessee	$49,645	$49,412	$47,866	$48,289	-2.7%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: South Carolina Department of Education

The mission statement of the South Carolina Department of Education reads:

“

Our mission is to ensure that every student in South Carolina receives an education that meets their individual needs while also preparing them to be contributing members of society. We work closely with students, parents, teachers, staff, school districts, government officials, and the media to facilitate the best possible education for South Carolina's students.

”

The Superintendent of Education is responsible generally for the administration of the Department of Education. The Superintendent of Education is elected to a four-year term. Molly Mitchell Spearman was first elected to the office in 2014.

The South Carolina State Board of Education is the governing body for public elementary and secondary education in the state. The board is composed of 17 members: 16 are appointed from each of the state's judicial circuits by their respective legislative delegations and one is appointed directly by the governor. Members serve four-year terms.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. South Carolina ranked 49th overall for union power and influence, or "weakest," which was in the fifth of five tiers.

The main union related to the South Carolina school system is the South Carolina Education Association (SCEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).

List of local South Carolina school unions:

• South Carolina Education Association
• Greenville County Education Association

Government sector lobbying

See also: South Carolina government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the South Carolina School Boards Association.

The South Carolina House of Representatives rejected a proposal in March 2010 that would have prohibited school districts from using taxpayer money to fund government sector lobbying associations. Representative Boyd Brown introduced the budget amendment, which would have eliminated government sector lobbying and prohibited the use of tax dollars for dues at any "organization which employs a lobbyist." The bill failed on March 18, 2010, by one vote.

According to reports, public universities in the state had spent more than $1.5 million on lobbying as of September 2010.

Transparency

"South Carolina Spending Transparency" is the transparency website sponsored by the state. It discloses information about South Carolina's spending and is managed by the Comptroller General. On August 30, 2007, then-Governor Mark Sanford signed South Carolina Executive Order 2007-14, which mandated the creation of the website.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average, The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

South Carolina received a score of 72.6, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 94.4, or an A average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 62.6, or a D average. South Carolina had the highest score in the "standards, assessments and accountability" category when compared to neighboring states. The chart below displays the scores of South Carolina and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
South Carolina	72.6 (C)	62.6 (D)	94.4 (A)	89.0 (B+)	68.7 (D+)	71.4 (C-)
Georgia	73.9 (C)	70.7 (C-)	91.1 (A-)	79.8 (B-)	71.6 (C-)	100.0 (A)
North Carolina	75.7 (C)	69.8 (C-)	92.8 (A)	77.8 (C+)	67.0 (D+)	85.7 (B)
Tennessee	73.9 (C)	68.8 (D+)	90.0 (A-)	80.3 (B-)	64.5 (D)	92.9 (A)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

School districts in South Carolina are organized by county. Each county has at least one public school district offering K-12 courses.

School board composition

South Carolina school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. South Carolina school board elections typically follow one of these two methods:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School boards can consists of five, seven or nine members. Board members serve terms of two, three or four years.

Term limits

South Carolina does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.

Elections

See also: South Carolina school board elections, 2025

No South Carolina school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2025.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in South Carolina, a person must be:

• 18 years of age or older
• A resident of the school district at the time of the election

Candidates file nominating petitions with county elections officials at least 75 days prior to the election. A valid petition features signatures from district residents totaling at least 5 percent of registered voters in the school district.

Campaign finance

State law requires local candidates to file campaign finance reports with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission. The first report for a school board candidate is due within 10 days of receiving or spending $500 in campaign funds. Candidates who do not receive or spend $500 are required to file pre-election reports within 15 days of the election. The maximum contribution amount in an election cycle for local candidates is $1,000 per person.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the South Carolina state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of South Carolina ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. South Carolina Establishment of a State Board of Education, Amendment 6 (1972)
2. South Carolina Amendment 1, Appointed Superintendent of Education Measure (2018)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms South Carolina education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in South Carolina - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in South Carolina
• South Carolina state budget and finances
• South Carolina Department of Education
• List of school districts in South Carolina
• School choice in South Carolina
• Charter schools in South Carolina
• South Carolina
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• South Carolina Department of Education
  • School directory
• South Carolina Superintendent of Education
• South Carolina State Board of Education
• South Carolina Virtual School