LAURENS, S.C. — Ten schools in Laurens County School District 55 earned an overall rating of Average or higher on the 2026 state report cards, three more than the year before.
The schools reaching that mark were E.B. Morse Elementary, Ford Elementary, Gray Court-Owings Elementary, Hickory Tavern Elementary, Laurens Elementary, Waterloo Elementary, Gray Court-Owings Middle, Hickory Tavern Middle, Laurens Middle and Sanders Middle.
Laurens District 55 High School made progress in Academic Achievement, Preparing for Success, Multilingual Progress, College and Career Readiness and School Climate, but the school missed an Average overall rating by a single point.
The district also counted itself among the top three districts in South Carolina in math and reported growth in academics, student success and school environment at nearly every school. Interim Superintendent Dr. Rhett Harris credited teachers, support staff, principals and district leaders and said the district will keep building on the results.
The district results arrived as State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced statewide figures at the State House. The share of South Carolina schools rated Good or Excellent reached 52.3%, the highest since the current rating system began, while the share rated Below Average or Unsatisfactory fell to 9.9%, its lowest.
Statewide, the number of schools rated Excellent overall climbed from 270 to 320, and the on-time graduation rate reached 87.5%, the highest level in a decade.
