On August 10, 2026, the South Carolina Department of Education released the 2025-2026 school year performance results. The School District of Pickens County (SDPC) outperformed state benchmarks in nearly all tested areas, showing remarkable year-over-year growth. These results highlight SDPC’s commitment to academic excellence, preparing students for college, careers, and beyond while delivering exceptional value to the community.

Highlights

• SC READY English Language Arts (ELA): SDPC surpassed state averages in grades 3–8, with every grade and school improving from 2025.
  • Science of Reading impact: Since 2023-24, the number of SDPC third graders scoring “Does Not Meet” on the ELA portion of SC READY has dropped 43.9%, falling from 262 students to 147.
  • Biggest ELA gain: 8th grade posted the largest year-over-year growth in the district, up 7.9 percentage points from 2024-25.
• SC READY Math: SDPC surpassed state averages in grades 3–8, with gains up to 7.7 percentage points above the state.
  • Biggest Math gains: 8th grade led the district, up 15.1 percentage points from 2024-25, followed by 7th grade, up 10.3 percentage points.
• SC READY Science: SDPC outperformed the state in both tested grades, with 6th graders scoring 11.1 percentage points above the state average.
• End-of-Course Exams (EOCOP): SDPC students outperformed the state in English 2, U.S. History, and Biology.
• Career Readiness: 79.1% of SDPC students earned a career-ready credential (Levels 2–5), compared to 72.2% statewide, reinforcing SDPC’s leadership in workforce preparation.

South Carolina College-and-Career Ready Assessments (SC READY)

The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) evaluate students in grades 3–8 in English Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Science. Students are scored at one of four achievement levels: Does Not Meet, Approaches, Meets, or Exceeds Standard.

SC READY ELA: 

SDPC outperformed the state average in every grade, 3–8, in the percentage of students scoring Meets or Exceeds Standard, with the largest gains in the upper grades.

• The percentage of SDPC students scoring at the highest performance levels (Meets or Exceeds Standard) in ELA ranged between 0.6 and 5.4 percentage points higher than the state.
• 8th graders posted the district’s largest ELA gain over last year, climbing 7.9 percentage points from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Science of Reading: Continued Progress in Early Literacy 

SDPC continues to see the impact of its early literacy work grounded in the Science of Reading. Since 2023-24, the number of SDPC third graders scoring “Does Not Meet” on the ELA portion of SC READY has fallen by 43.9% – from 262 students to 147 students in 2025-26, a 16.5% decrease from just last year alone. The percentage of SDPC third graders scoring “Does Not Meet” has dropped from 22% in 2023-24 to 12% this year.

Math: 

SDPC’s math scores also topped the state average in every grade, 3–8, with 5th graders posting the strongest gap at 7.7 percentage points above the state.

• The percentage of SDPC students scoring at the highest performance levels (Meets or Exceeds Standard) in Math ranged between 0.8 and 7.7 percentage points higher than the state.
• Middle schoolers led the district’s math growth: 8th grade climbed 15.1 percentage points and 7th grade climbed 10.3 percentage points from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Science: 

SDPC outperformed the state average in both tested grades (4th and 6th). Grade 6 students posted an especially strong result, 11.1 percentage points above the state.

End-of-Course Exams (EOCEP)

The EOCEP provides tests in gateway courses of Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U.S. History and Constitution. Results are used in the calculation of state accountability ratings for high schools. 

SDPC’s 2025-26 results include:

• SDPC students outperformed the state average in English 2 (+4.1 points), U.S. History (+0.5 points), and Biology 1 (+1.1 points).
• Summer 2026 scores are not present yet in this report. This will impact final 2025-26 Report Card results. 
• Algebra 1: In 2025-26, SC implemented the 2025 South Carolina College-and Career-Ready Mathematics Standards, leading to a statewide change to the high school math sequence: Geometry with Statistics replaced Algebra 1 as the first course, so students who had already taken Algebra 1 and students who had not yet taken it both took Geometry with Statistics this year. This led to far fewer students taking the Algebra 1 exam than in prior years. Algebra 1 scores from the previous version of the assessment are not directly comparable. Participation is expected to return to normal trends in 2026-27.

SDPC South Carolina Career Readiness Assessment Scores

The South Carolina Career Ready Test is administered to eleventh-grade students to measure the hard and soft skills employers identify as foundational for career readiness, across four areas: Math, Data, Reading, and Soft Skills.

• 79.1% of SDPC students earned a career-ready credential (Levels 2–5), compared to 72.2% statewide — continuing SDPC’s standing among the state’s strongest districts in workforce readiness.

South Carolina Career Readiness Credentials Among SDPC Students:

• Level 2: 16.8%
• Level 3: 20.7% (score of level 3 or higher on all exams)
• Level 4: 39.6% (score of level 4 or higher on all exams)
• Level 5: 2.0% (score of level 5 or higher on all exams)

A High Return on Investment

Alongside strong academic performance, SDPC continues to operate with one of the lowest tax burdens in South Carolina. For the 2026-27 fiscal year, the SDPC Board of Trustees approved a $195.3 million budget that funded pay increases for every district employee while holding the district’s operating millage rate flat at 104.8 mills – the lowest in the state. These academic results underscore the high return on investment the community receives through the district’s commitment to efficiency, excellence, and student success.

“What stands out to me this year is that the growth isn’t isolated to one school or one grade level – it’s happening across the district. Our teachers have leaned into high-quality instructional materials and targeted support, and our students are responding. I’m especially encouraged by our progress in early literacy. A 43.9% drop in the number of third graders scoring ‘Does Not Meet’ since 2023-24 is not a small thing. That’s more students starting fourth grade as confident readers. In addition, we are proud of the collaborative work among our math teachers that led to record increases in 5th, 7th and 8th grade math proficiency scores. These scores, combined with the gains we’re seeing in science, tells me our instructional strategy is working, and our teachers deserve real credit for that,” said Associate Superintendent for Academic Services, Dr. Shannon Sharkey. 

“These results are a reflection of the hard work happening in every classroom, every day, across Pickens County. Our students outperformed the state in nearly every subject and grade level, and that kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident – it’s the product of great teachers, engaged families, and a community that believes in what public education can do. I’m proud of what our students accomplished this year, and I’m even more excited about where we’re headed,” said School District of Pickens County Superintendent Dr. Danny Merck. “Every year, I get to see firsthand what our teachers and students are capable of, and this year’s results are some of the clearest evidence yet. SDPC is delivering exceptional value and preparing students for higher education, careers, and beyond. ”

To see all the results, visit the state’s Department of Education website (SC Ready , EOC, Career Ready).