Fort Mill School District (FMSD) earned the #1 school district in South Carolina, #1 in the Charlotte metro, and a spot in the top 1% of districts nationwide at #91 of 10,394 in Niche’s 2026 Best Schools in America report. The district also ranks #1 in the Charlotte area for “Best Places to Teach” and “Districts with the Best Teachers.”
Below are every FMSD school that appears on Niche’s state lists this year, with its South Carolina ranking.
Elementary schools (all in the state’s Top 11)
- Gold Hill Elementary – #1
- Pleasant Knoll Elementary – #2
- Tega Cay Elementary – #3
- Kings Town Elementary – #4
- Doby’s Bridge Elementary – #5
- River Trail Elementary – #6
- Orchard Park Elementary – #7
- Springfield Elementary – #8
- Sugar Creek Elementary – #9
- Fort Mill Elementary – #10
- Riverview Elementary – #11.
Middle schools (the state’s Top 6 are all in FMSD)
- Springfield Middle – #1
- Forest Creek Middle – #2
- Fort Mill Middle – #3
- Gold Hill Middle – #4
- Pleasant Knoll Middle – #5
- Banks Trail Middle – #6.
High schools (state rankings)
- Catawba Ridge High School – #5
- Fort Mill High School – #10
- Nation Ford High School – #12.
District accolades at a glance
- #1 Best School District in South Carolina and #1 in York County.
- #1 Best School District in the Charlotte Area.
- Top 1% nationally (#91 of 10,394).
- #1 Best Places to Teach (Charlotte Area) and #1 Districts with the Best Teachers (Charlotte Area).
Notes: Niche compiles these rankings using multiple factors (state test results, college readiness, teacher quality, student/parent reviews and more). Rankings above reflect the statewide “public school” lists published for 2026.
