South Carolina Students Reach New Heights in Academic Achievement

Statewide results mark the strongest ELA results and significant gains in math since inception of SC READY

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Surge continues as students achieved their strongest performance ever on SC READY, earning the highest percentage of Meets and Exceeds scores in the assessment’s history and moving the state closer to its goal of having 75% of students performing at or above grade level by 2030.

Released today by State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, the 2025-26 SC READY results show substantial gains in both English language arts (ELA) and math across grades 3-8, marking another year of academic progress for South Carolina students as illustrated in the table below:

Why It Matters:

These results are a testament to what’s possible when great teachers have the support they need and students are challenged to reach their full potential. Across South Carolina, educators are helping more students meet and exceed grade-level expectations, and the progress is especially encouraging in student groups that have historically faced the greatest challenges. Some of the state’s most remarkable gains came from schools serving students with the highest levels of poverty, reinforcing the belief that a child’s circumstances should never define their future.

State Superintendent Weaver visited Meeting Street Elementary – Burns in Charleston to highlight that success. Despite a poverty rate at 89% (nearly 9 out of every 10 students come from low-income households), the school increased the percentage of students scoring at or above grade level by 22 points, with almost 65% of students performing at or above grade level. Third graders improved nearly 29 percentage points in ELA and made significant progress in math. Those results made Meeting Street Elementary – Burns the most improved school in South Carolina in ELA and placed it in the top five for most improved in math, demonstrating what can happen when strong leadership, excellent teaching, and high expectations come together to provide high support for students

What They’re Saying:

“These results tell a powerful story about what’s possible for South Carolina’s future: our students are proving they can compete with anyone, anywhere. But this is the new starting line, not the finish line. Just like a GPS, this data helps us locate ourselves on the map, to celebrate how far we’ve come and to focus our planning for the journey still ahead. I’m deeply grateful to our educators who made this progress possible, and I’m more confident than ever that the South Carolina Surge is real, and our best days are still ahead.

 I’m especially proud of the remarkable progress we’re seeing in Charleston County and at Meeting Street Elementary – Burns. These results reflect years of hard work and a shared commitment stretching all the way from the Statehouse to the classroom. When everyone shares a vision and pulls in the same direction, our students win.” – State Superintendent Ellen Weaver

 “The continued gains in South Carolina’s SC READY results are a testament to what is possible when educators, families, communities, and business leaders unite around the success of every child. I am especially proud of the remarkable progress made by Meeting Street Schools and the schools of Charleston County School District where students continue to demonstrate that high expectations and exceptional instruction lead to extraordinary outcomes. These results represent our shared commitment to ensuring that every student is prepared to thrive in school, in careers, in service, and in life.” – Charleston County School District Superintendent Anita Huggins

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Charleston County School District to serve neighborhood students in North Charleston. Together, we’re demonstrating that innovative approaches can deliver extraordinary results for students and help change the landscape of public education in South Carolina. We’re proud of the meaningful progress we’ve made, and we’re just getting started.” – President of Beemok Education Josh Bell

Key Takeaways:

More South Carolina students are reading on grade level since SC READY was first administered in 2015-2016. This is the second year of testing under the new ELA standards and show continued growth: 

• 2% of 3rd graders statewide are at or above grade level
• 5% of 4th graders statewide are at or above grade level
• 5% of 5th graders statewide are at or above grade level
• 165 schools now have at least 75% of students at or above grade level with dozens more in striking distance

Our math momentum is strong. The same proven approach that helped drive historic gains in reading in the first year of testing is accelerating achievement in math through the Palmetto Math Project. By equipping teachers with aligned standards, assessments, high-quality instructional materials, strong professional learning, and evidence-based practices, we are helping more students build the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

• 2025-26 marks South Carolina’s strongest year on record in mathematics, with 47.9% of students meeting or exceeding expectations
• Middle school students posted especially encouraging scores led by eighth graders who achieved an 11.8% gain in the number of students scoring at or above expectations
• There are 71 schools where 75% of students are now at or above grade level in math

Graphs and Charts:

A link to state, school district, and school level data for SC READY is available at www.ed.sc.gov.

South Carolina’s High-Quality Instructional Toolbox:

English Language Arts (ELA)

• The revised ELA standards implemented in 2024-2025 are more coherent and ensure students in grades K-4 develop foundational skills and content knowledge, and the state’s approved ELA curriculum options (adopted by districts in 2024) align with the updated standards.
• Many districts and schools are also making progress in implementing their ELA and math HQIM with fidelity and focusing on strengthening Tier 1 core instruction for all students.
• LETRS Training: At the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year, 21,602 educators have completed LETRS training, a high-quality professional development course aligned to the Science of Reading.
• Read to Succeed: The 2024–25 school year marked the first full school year with the updated Read to Succeed Act in place, ensuring the implementation of proven strategies that improve literacy outcomes.

Expanded Summer Reading Camps: Now serving all third-grade students scoring in the Does Not Meet category on SC READY. During summer 2026, districts began offering summer reading camps to first graders who did not demonstrate grade-level reading proficiency during the school year and will expand invites to second graders performing below grade level in summer 2027.

Math: 

• Math Content Standards: Recently revised to include fewer, more coherent standards that are vertically aligned to build a strong mathematics foundation from grade to grade.
• High-Quality Instructional Material (HQIM) and Coaching:
• In 2025, the Department conducted a rigorous materials’ evaluation process that led to the adoption of high-quality math instructional material with strict, coherent alignment to the recently revised standards.
• In addition to high-quality materials, the Department prioritized collaboration with educators, districts, and state partners with a premium placed on training and deploying math coaches, especially in the state’s most vulnerable districts.
• The Department also partnered with curriculum-based, standards aligned professional learning providers including ZEARN, OGAP, and Modern Classrooms to strengthen mathematics instruction and support classroom implementation.

Palmetto Math Project: Launched in pilot schools in Spring 2025 to support math achievement through targeted interventions and teacher training. The program expanded direct support during the 2025-26 school year to 64 schools, with an emphasis on supporting upper elementary and middle school math instruction.

National Context: The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)

While many organizations publish education “rankings” using subjective methodologies, the “Nation’s Report Card”—NAEP—provides the only consistent apples-to-apples measure of student performance nationwide.

The most recent NAEP release (2024) highlighted troubling national trends: reading scores declining, and math progress flat.

Yet South Carolina stood out as one of the nation’s leading states for growth, a rare bright spot in an otherwise challenging national picture. In fact, when the Urban Institute adjusted all state’s scores to account for poverty, South Carolina’s performance ranked 8th in the nation.

This national context underscores that South Carolina’s progress is not only real but nationally recognized—clear evidence that the state’s reforms are making an impact where many others are still struggling. The 2026 NAEP results are expected to be released in early January 2027.

Find More

State, school district, and school level data for the SC READY assessments can be accessed by clicking here