In a sweeping demonstration of scholastic dominance, the Fort Mill School District has once again outperformed every traditional public school system in South Carolina, according to newly released state assessment data presented at the latest school board meeting.
Presenting the state evaluation data to the board, Dr. Mike Waiksnis and Matt Rohring outlined a comprehensive landscape of student achievement marked by record-setting Advanced Placement (AP) participation, soaring elementary and middle school proficiency, and notable gains in closing the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged students.
Statewide Leadership and Career Preparedness
The district secured the state’s #1 ranking on the WIN Learning Career Readiness Assessment, earning a 214 mean score among traditional high schools. Nearly 80 percent (79.5%) of Fort Mill students attained Level 3 or higher on the assessment — designated as “Career Ready” — far outpacing the South Carolina state average of 52.3 percent.
District officials credited targeted investments in teaching personnel for driving these system-wide gains. District leadership emphasized that recent additions to instructional staff provided the tailored support necessary to accelerate student learning across grade levels and demographics.
Steady Multi-Year Growth in Elementary and Middle Grades
Data from the SC Ready assessments (Grades 3–8) revealed multi-year upward trajectories across all core subject areas, with Fort Mill surpassing state averages in every individual grade level evaluated:
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English Language Arts (ELA): 81.4 percent of students met or exceeded expectations, marking a 9.2 percentage point increase since the 2021–2022 academic year (up from 72.2%).
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Mathematics: 73.7 percent achieved proficiency, reflecting a 7 percentage point increase over the same period (up from 66.6%).
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Science: 76.1 percent met or exceeded standards, up 2 percentage points since SC PASS transitioned to the SC Ready Science framework in 2022–2023.
Advanced Academics and High School Outcomes
At the secondary level, Fort Mill students recorded a 99.6 percent participation rate on state End-of-Course (EOC) examinations, outpacing state benchmarks for scores of “C” or higher by vast margins:
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English II: 89.9% scored C or higher (vs. 69.4% statewide)
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US History: 78.6% scored C or higher (vs. 49.1% statewide)
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Biology: 75.6% scored C or higher (vs. 46.3% statewide)
Concurrently, participation in Advanced Placement coursework reached an all-time high, with students sitting for 3,001 AP exams in 2026 — a 67 percent increase from the 1,790 exams administered in 2022. The district logged a 100 percent pass rate across five distinct AP disciplines: Drawing, English Literature, Macroeconomics, Statistics, and U.S. Government.
Progress in Closing the Achievement Gap
The assessment update also highlighted progress within the Pupils in Poverty (PiP) subgroup. Students within the subgroup demonstrated year-over-year proficiency growth across multiple metrics:
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SC Ready Math & Science: Math proficiency rose from 46.6% to 50.6%, while Science proficiency grew from 48.9% to 53.7%.
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EOC Subject Growth: Significant gains were posted in Biology (up to 58.2% from 47.2%), English II (up to 80.4% from 74.8%), and U.S. History (up to 63.7% from 56.9%).
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College Entrance Exams: The average SAT score for students within the PiP subgroup rose 21 points, climbing from 951.8 in 2025 to 972.8 in 2026.
Board Business and Governance
In other board action, members formally designated Anthony Boddie, Dr. Scott Frattaroli, and Kristy Spears as certified delegates to represent the district at the South Carolina School Boards Association Annual Business Meeting during the 2026 Delegate Assembly on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026.
Fort Mill School Board meetings are broadcast live and archived for on-demand viewing on the district’s official YouTube channel.
