Fort Mill students outperformed every traditional public school district in South Carolina on newly released state assessments, according to data presented at the Wednesday, Sept. 16, school board meeting.

Dr. Mike Waiksnis and Matt Rohring walked the board through results showing the district led the state in SC Ready English Language Arts scores in every grade from third through eighth. Fort Mill also posted the highest SC Ready Math scores in grades 3, 4, 7 and 8, and the highest End-of-Course (EOC) exam scores among traditional districts in English II, Biology and U.S. History, the Fort Mill Sun reported.

The numbers back it up. On SC Ready tests, 81.4% of students in grades 3–8 met or exceeded expectations in ELA, up 9.2 percentage points from 72.2% in the 2021–2022 school year. Math proficiency reached 73.7%, a 7-point jump from 66.6% over the same span. Science proficiency stood at 76.1%, up 2 percentage points since SC PASS transitioned to the SC Ready Science framework in 2022–2023.

High schoolers posted a 99.6% participation rate on EOC exams. Among those test-takers, 89.9% scored C or higher in English II, compared with 69.4% statewide. In Biology, 75.6% hit that mark versus 46.3% across the state.

Career readiness and AP results

Fort Mill earned the No. 1 ranking on the WIN Learning Career Readiness Assessment among traditional high schools statewide, with a mean score of 214. Nearly 80% of students reached Level 3 or higher, the threshold designated as "Career Ready." The state average was 52.3%.

Advanced Placement participation hit an all-time high. Students sat for 3,001 AP exams in 2026, a 67% increase from 1,790 in 2022. Five AP subjects recorded a 100% pass rate: Drawing, English Literature, Macroeconomics, Statistics and U.S. Government.

Economically disadvantaged student scores

Students in the Pupils in Poverty (PiP) subgroup also gained ground. SC Ready Math proficiency for that group rose from 46.6% to 50.6%, and Science proficiency climbed from 48.9% to 53.7%. On EOC exams, Biology scores jumped to 58.2% from 47.2%, English II rose to 80.4% from 74.8%, and U.S. History climbed to 63.7% from 56.9%. The average SAT score for students in the subgroup increased 21 points, from 951.8 in 2025 to 972.8 in 2026.

District officials credited targeted investments in teaching staff for driving gains across grade levels and demographics. Superintendent Grey Young said in an Aug. 10 district statement that the results reflect the work of students, the dedication of teachers and staff, and the support of families.

All three district high schools also placed in the top 20 statewide in the U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings released Aug. 17. Fort Mill High ranked No. 8, Nation Ford High No. 12 and Catawba Ridge High No. 18, according to WRHI. All three landed inside roughly the top 10% of nearly 18,000 ranked public high schools nationally.