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GREENWOOD, SC · LAKELANDS EDITION · TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026
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Fewer Greenwood Schools Rated Excellent on 2026 Report Cards

Published October 13, 2026 at 7:48 am | By Stella Flynn, Staff Reporter

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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.

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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.

What's Happening
How many Greenwood County schools were rated Excellent?
Two: Hodges Elementary School and Ninety Six High School, down from seven in 2025.
Which schools moved up?
Brewer Middle School and Ware Shoals High, both from Average to Good.
Where can I see every school's rating?
On the HERE Greenwood Education page, with links to each full state report card.
Stella Flynn
HERE Greenwood · EDUCATION

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

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