10/15/2026
DISTRICT JOINS STATEWIDE REPORT CARD CELEBRATION BY REACHING 100 PERCENT 'AVERAGE OR BETTER' MARK; JOHNSTON ELEMENTARY ACHIEVES ‘AVERAGE’ REPORT CARD RATING WITH NINE-POINT INCREASE, STROM THURMOND HIGH GRADUATION RATE NOW 90 PERCENT
Johnston, SC – Education and government leaders across South Carolina are continuing to celebrate a statewide surge in school performance this week with the annual release of school report cards, including 90 percent of all state schools being rated as “average” or better. An “average” school report card rating means school performance meets the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the SC Graduate, the state’s standard for high school graduates.
In the Edgefield County School District (ECSD) that same metric for school performance is even higher at 100 percent, with all of the District’s schools now having a report card rating of “average” or better. Johnston Elementary School (JES), which earned a visit from State Superintendent Ellen Weaver on the first day of school following its performance on spring assessments, moved from a “below average” rating on the 2025 report card to an “average” rating in 2026.
ECSD’s Superintendent, Dr. Kevin O’Gorman, expects further academic growth to be reflected on future school report cards when positive District results from the state’s recently updated math assessments are included in future report cards.
“Our performance in English, which now mirrors the state, and in math continues to improve and we expect to maintain that trajectory in the coming years as our most recent math assessments were not included in this report card’s growth metric,” said Dr. O’Gorman. “Due to the tremendous work of our educators and students, we’re really seeing the benefits of improvements to our curriculum in all grade levels and the implementation of new high quality instructional materials across the school district.”
That’s great news, as most ECSD schools are within a few report card rating points of moving to a higher rating. W.E. Parker Elementary School is within a single rating point of reaching a school rating of “good” while Johnston Elementary School’s year-to-year increase of nine report card rating points places the school within three points of a “good” rating.
REPORT CARD HIGHLIGHTS
● Strom Thurmond High School (STHS) Reaches “Excellent” 90-percent graduation rate. The statewide graduation rate is 87.5 percent. STHS improved by two report card rating points and is within three rating points of reaching a “Good” school rating. A rating of “Good” means school performance exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the SC Graduate. The school also received a “Good” rating for its College and Career readiness.
● Merriwether Elementary School (MES) and Johnston Elementary School (JES) earn respective “Excellent” ratings for Student Progress (MES) and School Climate (JES). MES scored 22 of 35 possible points in Student Progress compared to the state’s 17 of 35 possible points. JES scored 8.6 points out of 10 possible points in School Climate, compared to the state’s 7.19 points.
● The District's middle schools post “Good” ratings in Student Progress and School Climate (Johnston-Trenton-Edgefield/JET Middle School) and Academic Achievement and School Climate (Merriwether Middle/MMS).
● W.E. Parker Elementary School (WEP) earns “Good” ratings in Academic Achievement and School Climate, while Douglas Elementary School (DES) posts “Good” rating for School Climate.
Contact the ECSD Public Information Office (PIO) by email at [email protected].
