Latest Clinton Junior Graydon Watkins Named Player of the Week
CLINTON, SC · UPSTATE EDITION · TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026
HERE City Network
HEREClinton
Why It Matters. HERE!
Education

Fewer Greenwood Schools Rated Excellent on 2026 Report Cards

Published October 13, 2026 at 10:22 am | By HERE Greenwood, Staff Reporter

Empty classroom with student desks

GREENWOOD, S.C. — Two Greenwood County public schools earned an Excellent rating on the 2026 South Carolina School Report Cards, down from seven a year ago, according to report card data the South Carolina Department of Education released Monday.

Hodges Elementary School and Ninety Six High School were the county’s two Excellent schools. Eleven schools were rated Good and six were rated Average. No Greenwood County school was rated Below Average or Unsatisfactory in 2026, and none was in 2025.

HERE CITY BUSINESS DIRECTORYOwn a business in Clinton? Get listed HERE.Free basic listing. Premium features available.
ADD YOUR BUSINESS →

That means 13 of the county’s 19 rated schools, about 68 percent, were Good or Excellent. Statewide, 52.3 percent of schools earned Good or Excellent, the highest share since the current rating system began in 2018, according to the department.

Which Greenwood Schools Moved Up or Down

Two schools moved up a level from 2025: Brewer Middle School went from Average to Good, and Ware Shoals High went from Average to Good.

Five schools moved down. Mathews Elementary, Merrywood Elementary and Woodfields Elementary School in Greenwood School District 50 and Edgewood Middle School in Greenwood District 52 went from Excellent to Good. Pinecrest Elementary School in District 50 went from Excellent to Average.

The other 12 schools kept the same rating as last year.

Graduation Rates

Ninety Six High School posted a 95.7 percent on-time graduation rate, up from 87.9 percent. Ware Shoals High rose to 89.5 percent from 83.8 percent, and Emerald High School rose to 86 percent from 81.7 percent. Greenwood High School’s rate fell to 82.7 percent from 85.6 percent. The state’s on-time graduation rate reached 87.5 percent, the highest level in a decade, the department said.

Statewide Results

State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced the results at the State House. The number of South Carolina schools rated Excellent rose from 270 to 320, while the number rated Below Average or Unsatisfactory continued to decline, the department said.

Every Greenwood County school’s 2026 rating, last year’s rating and a link to its full state report card are on the HERE Greenwood Education page, along with a guide to how the ratings work.

HERE Greenwood
HERE Clinton · EDUCATION

HERE is a staff reporter for HERE Clinton covering local news, community stories, and developments across Laurens County. HERE is committed to accurate, community-first journalism.

Contact HERE
HEREmention Get Your Business Found in AI BE THE ANSWER. When customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI who to hire — your name comes up. Learn More
HERE City Network

Education Across South Carolina

Explore education coverage from other HERE cities across The Palmetto State.