South Carolina · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in South Carolina

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
564,433
Students enrolled
47/100
Avg quality score
C
Top grade

The ranking in one line

Fairfield 01 in Winnsboro leads South Carolina's districts with an average school quality score of 59.4/100 across 7 schools.

59.4/100
top district score (grade C)
7
schools in Fairfield 01
2,278
students in the top district
47/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 Fairfield 01 Winnsboro C 59.4
2 York 04 Fort Mill C 58.4
3 Hampton Varnville C 58.4
4 Barnwell 48 Williston C- 51.8
5 Horry 01 Conway C- 50.9
6 Lexington 05 Irmo C- 50.7
7 Greenwood 52 Ninety Six C- 50.5
8 Anderson 04 Pendleton C- 50.3
9 Lee 01 Bishopville D 49.6
10 Newberry 01 Newberry D 49.4
11 York 02 Clover D 49
12 Edgefield 01 Johnston D 49
13 Saluda 01 Saluda D 49
14 Georgetown 01 Georgetown D 48.6
15 Abbeville 60 Abbeville D 48.4
16 Greenwood 51 Ware Shoals D 48.3
17 Spartanburg 01 Campobello D 48.1
18 Oconee 01 Walhalla D 48
19 Limestone Charters Association Columbia D 48
20 Allendale 01 Fairfax D 47.7
21 Charleston 01 Charleston D 47.4
22 Spartanburg 07 Spartanburg D 47.1
23 Lexington 01 Lexington D 46.8
24 Beaufort 01 Beaufort D 46.7
25 Dorchester 04 St. George D 46.7
26 Sc Public Charter School District Columbia D 46.6
27 Lancaster 01 Lancaster D 46.2
28 Spartanburg 03 Glendale D 46.2
29 Spartanburg 06 Roebuck D 45.9
30 Spartanburg 05 Duncan D 45.7
31 Anderson 01 Williamston D 45.1
32 Orangeburg Orangeburg D 45
33 Calhoun 01 St. Matthews D 45
34 Darlington 01 Darlington D 44.9
35 Florence 03 Lake City D 44.9
36 York 03 Rock Hill D 44.8
37 Dillon 03 Latta D 44.7
38 Anderson 05 Anderson D 44.6
39 Greenwood 50 Greenwood D 44.5
40 Charter Institute at Erskine Columbia D 44.3
41 Anderson 02 Honea Path D 44.3
42 York 01 York D 44.1
43 Anderson 03 Iva D 44
44 Florence 05 Johnsonville D 44
45 Richland 01 Columbia D 43.5
46 Chester 01 Chester D 43.5
47 Richland 02 Columbia D 43.4
48 Greenville 01 Greenville D 43.4
49 Union 01 Union D 42.8
50 Laurens 55 Laurens D 42.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in South Carolina? ▼

The top-ranked district in South Carolina is Fairfield 01 in Winnsboro with 2,278 students across 7 schools. Average quality score: 59.4/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated? ▼

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in South Carolina? ▼

South Carolina has 50+ school districts serving 784,749 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 14.3:1.

Explore More for South Carolina

All Schools → Best Schools → Highest Spending → Funding Equity → Absenteeism Data →

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.