CLARENDON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
2026 SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL REPORT CARDS
DISTRICT PUBLIC STATEMENT
Unified as One: Educating and Empowering Students
For Immediate Release | OCTOBER 12, 2026
Clarendon County School District Sets New Standards with 2026 School Report Card Success
All CCSD Schools Earn Average or Higher Ratings, Reflecting Dedication to Student Growth and Educational Excellence
9 OF 9 Rated CCSD schools earned Average or higher | EXCELLENT 67 East Clarendon High School | GOOD 51 Manning Junior High School |
The release of the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards provides Clarendon County School District (CCSD) an important opportunity to celebrate progress, recognize the work of students and staff, and use evidence to guide the next phase of improvement. This year, all nine CCSD schools receiving overall ratings earned an Average rating or higher. East Clarendon High School earned an Excellent rating, Manning Junior High earned a Good rating, and each of the district’s three elementary schools earned an Average rating. Beyond the ratings, several districtwide indicators show measurable academic and student-growth gains, while other measures clearly identify where accelerated improvement must continue.
Elementary Progress: Stronger Literacy Foundations
At the elementary level, literacy continues to be a notable strength. Manning Elementary increased ELA Meets and Exceeds from 48.1% in 2025 to 50.9% in 2026, while Grade 4 science improved from 28.3% to 32.7%. Dr. Rose H. Wilder Elementary continued its positive ELA trajectory, increasing from 53.3% to 55.9%. Walker-Gamble Elementary remained a strong district benchmark with 65.7% of students meeting or exceeding expectations in ELA and 57.9% in science. These results reinforce the value of early-literacy initiatives, structured reading practices, reading coaches, LETRS-informed professional learning, purposeful writing, and targeted small-group instruction.
“Our elementary results show that focused instructional practices are making a difference, particularly in literacy. Our responsibility now is to sustain that momentum, strengthen mathematics and science, and ensure that every classroom provides the high-quality core instruction, intervention, enrichment, and support students need to continue growing.” — Dr. Erica Murdaugh, Director of Elementary and Early Childhood Education |
Secondary Progress: Achievement, Graduation, and Readiness
At the secondary level, all six schools earned an Average rating or higher. Manning Junior High improved from an Average rating of 44 in 2025 to a Good rating of 51 in 2026, while East Clarendon Middle and Scott’s Branch Middle earned Average ratings. Manning Junior High also increased ELA Meets and Exceeds from 47.7% to 51.2% and mathematics from 22.3% to 25.7%. East Clarendon Middle posted 56.9% Meets and Exceeds in ELA, 46.9% in mathematics, and 63.7% in science.
At the high school level, East Clarendon High earned an Excellent rating of 67, with 88.3% passing and 72.8% earning a C or higher in English 2 and 75.9% passing and 55.4% earning a C or higher in Algebra 1. Scott’s Branch High earned an Average rating of 55 and demonstrated meaningful improvement in English 2 and Algebra 1. Manning High earned an Average rating of 54, with 68.3% passing and 51.4% earning a C or higher in English 2. Graduation rates were 90.7% at East Clarendon High, 86.7% at Scott’s Branch High, and 85.0% at Manning High.
“Secondary results show meaningful movement: English 2 C-or-higher performance reached 57.5%, and High School Student Success reached 86.5%, above the state rate. We will build on that progress while accelerating mathematics, science, U.S. History, and readiness outcomes.” — Dr. Tyneshia Eaddy, Director of Secondary Education, Accountability & Registration | Superintendent Designee |
Districtwide Evidence of Continuous Improvement
Beyond individual school results, districtwide indicators show meaningful movement across multiple measures. SC READY ELA Meets and Exceeds increased from 46.3% in 2024 to 52.7% in 2025 and 54.7% in 2026—an 8.4 percentage-point gain in two years. English 2 C-or-higher performance increased from 52.1% in 2024 to 54.1% in 2025 and 57.5% in 2026, a 5.4-point gain. SC READY Science also increased from 37.9% in 2025 to 40.5% in 2026.
Student-growth indicators provide additional evidence of movement. The percentage of students meeting Median Annual Targets increased from 42.7% in 2025 to 49.7% in 2026, placing CCSD within 0.8 percentage point of the state rate of 50.5%. Students meeting Added-Value Targets increased from 24.8% to 35.4%, within 1.6 points of the state rate of 37.0%. At the high school level, High School Student Success increased from 81.6% to 86.5% and exceeded the state rate of 85.3%. In addition, 77.7% of the graduation cohort was college OR career ready—within 1.2 points of the state—and the district’s 87.0% on-time graduation rate was within 0.5 point of the state rate.
Priority Growth Areas: Turning Evidence Into Action
Continuous improvement also requires an equally clear view of the measures that are not yet where they must be. District mathematics Meets and Exceeds was 38.7% compared with 47.8% statewide. At the high school level, Algebra 1 C-or-higher performance was 34.0% compared with 67.1% statewide; Biology was 28.8% compared with 44.8%; and U.S. History was 27.1% compared with 47.1%. Multilingual learner progress and persistent subgroup gaps also remain priority growth areas. These measures will guide the district’s next instructional cycle so that resources, professional learning, intervention, and leadership support are directed where the evidence shows the greatest need.
· High-quality instruction: Rigorous, standards-aligned grade-level instruction in every classroom.
· Targeted support: Timely intervention and enrichment based on student need and evidence.
· Assessment and monitoring: Frequent progress monitoring, analysis of student work, and responsive instructional adjustment.
· Leadership and educator growth: Meaningful coaching, feedback, professional learning, and visible instructional leadership.
· Growth partnerships: Strong family, community, business, and industry partnerships that expand opportunities and connect learning to students’ futures.
At the high school level, this work will also include close monitoring of graduation, on-track status, college and career readiness, High School Student Success, credentials, and postsecondary preparation. Across every grade span, the expectation is the same: data must lead to action, and action must lead to measurable student growth.
“The report cards give us evidence, not an endpoint. Districtwide gains in ELA, English 2, student growth, and High School Student Success show that focused systems can move results. Our responsibility is to sustain what is working and respond just as deliberately where performance must accelerate. Continuous improvement means evidence leads to action, action is monitored, and support is adjusted until students benefit.” — Dr. Shawn Johnson, Superintendent |
Moving Forward Together
CCSD is proud of the progress reflected in the 2026 report cards and grateful to the students, teachers, administrators, support staff, families, Board of Trustees, and community partners who contribute to student success. The district will continue to move forward with purpose: protecting the practices that are producing results, addressing priority growth areas with urgency, and strengthening the systems that ensure every student experiences high expectations, meaningful opportunities, and a pathway to a successful future.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS | STRONG INSTRUCTION | MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES | CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Data reflected in this statement are drawn from the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards and CCSD assessment results, including districtwide achievement, student-growth, graduation, and readiness indicators.
The printable PR version can be found HERE.
The elementary graphic can be found HERE.
The secondary graphic can be found HERE.
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Media Contact:
Dr. Keisa Carr
Executive Director of Communications, Safety, & Workforce (CTE)