South Carolina · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best-Resourced 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.

Compiled by PlainSchools, Education-data publisher · August 11, 2026

The ranking in one line

Fairfield 01 in Winnsboro leads South Carolina's districts with an average school quality score of 60.4/100 across 7 schools.

60.4/100
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	Grade	Students	Schools	Avg S:T	Per-Pupil $	Avg Quality
1	Fairfield 01Winnsboro	C+	2,278	7	9.4:1	$22,949	60.4
2	York 04Fort Mill	C	18,191	20	13.5:1	$12,290	58.4
3	Barnwell 48Williston	C-	1,194	5	12.1:1	$19,152	51.8
4	Greenwood 52Ninety Six	C-	1,484	4	13.4:1	$13,391	51.8
5	Lee 01Bishopville	C-	1,476	5	10:1	$17,558	51.2
6	Lexington 05Irmo	C-	17,463	22	11.7:1	$14,799	51
7	Horry 01Conway	C-	47,357	55	15.6:1	$13,222	50.3
8	Anderson 04Pendleton	C-	3,005	6	14.6:1	$14,724	50.3
9	Newberry 01Newberry	D	5,806	13	13.4:1	$14,625	49.5
10	Edgefield 01Johnston	D	3,100	7	13.1:1	$16,107	49.1
11	Abbeville 60Abbeville	D	2,864	8	12.7:1	$14,331	49.1
12	York 02Clover	D	9,087	10	13.4:1	$13,691	49.1
13	Saluda 01Saluda	D	2,480	5	13.9:1	$12,808	49
14	Allendale 01Fairfax	D	974	3	8.7:1	$21,639	49
15	Greenwood 51Ware Shoals	D	893	3	12.8:1	$14,804	49
16	Georgetown 01Georgetown	D	8,429	19	13.5:1	$14,951	48.5
17	Oconee 01Walhalla	D	10,217	16	12.8:1	$14,323	48.4
18	Spartanburg 01Campobello	D	5,458	10	13.8:1	$11,970	48.3
19	Lexington 01Lexington	D	28,031	30	12.7:1	$13,591	47.6
20	Charleston 01Charleston	D	49,929	79	13.5:1	$16,635	47.2
21	Beaufort 01Beaufort	D	21,439	32	11.5:1	$17,232	47.1
22	Spartanburg 07Spartanburg	D	7,371	10	12.5:1	$18,371	46.8
23	Union 01Union	D	3,788	6	14.1:1	$12,526	46.5
24	Spartanburg 03Glendale	D	2,784	5	14.7:1	$14,636	46.4
25	Dorchester 04St. George	D	2,027	6	12.5:1	$19,434	46.2
26	OrangeburgOrangeburg	D	10,979	27	14:1	$16,571	46.1
27	Spartanburg 06Roebuck	D	11,687	14	13.8:1	$14,109	46.1
28	Lancaster 01Lancaster	D	15,114	22	15.7:1	$12,216	45.9
29	Spartanburg 05Duncan	D	10,386	12	14.1:1	$11,950	45.8
30	Florence 03Lake City	D	2,993	8	13.1:1	$15,537	45.4
31	Calhoun 01St. Matthews	D	1,546	3	12.6:1	$16,031	45.3
32	Dillon 03Latta	D	1,506	3	16.8:1	$10,765	45.3
33	Darlington 01Darlington	D	9,042	18	12.5:1	$17,420	45.2
34	Anderson 01Williamston	D	10,839	14	15.8:1	$10,981	45.1
35	Sc Public Charter School DistrictColumbia	D	17,601	38	16.6:1	$23,863	45
36	Anderson 05Anderson	D	12,560	19	13.4:1	$13,515	45
37	Florence 05Johnsonville	D	1,225	3	12.9:1	$14,230	45
38	Mccormick 01Mccormick	D	582	3	12.4:1	$25,641	45
39	York 01York	D	5,038	8	13.9:1	$14,172	44.8
40	Anderson 02Honea Path	D	3,494	7	14.5:1	$12,659	44.7
41	Greenwood 50Greenwood	D	8,610	13	13.1:1	$13,530	44.6
42	York 03Rock Hill	D	16,493	24	13.8:1	$14,182	44.5
43	Chester 01Chester	D	4,767	11	12.7:1	$14,920	44.5
44	Anderson 03Iva	D	2,737	5	14.6:1	$12,976	43.8
45	Richland 01Columbia	D	22,037	47	12.8:1	$18,992	43.5
46	Laurens 55Laurens	D	5,344	9	12.4:1	$14,216	43.4
47	Greenville 01Greenville	D	77,978	88	15.8:1	$12,375	43.3
48	Richland 02Columbia	D	28,510	32	14.4:1	$14,024	43.2
49	Charter Institute at ErskineColumbia	D	22,535	24	21:1	$20,062	43.2
50	Limestone Charters AssociationColumbia	D	1,888	3	14.2:1	-	43

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: 60.4/100. 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.