Fort Mill School District landed in the top 1% of U.S. school districts, ranking 92nd out of more than 10,000 in Niche's 2027 Best Schools and Districts report released Thursday, Oct. 8.
The district held its No. 1 spot in South Carolina and the Charlotte metro area for the third consecutive year, earning an overall A+ grade. Last year, Fort Mill placed 91st out of 10,394 districts in Niche's 2026 rankings.
Superintendent Grey Young pointed to the district's educators as the driving force.
"Being recognized among the best districts in the nation is an incredible honor, but we are especially proud of the recognition our educators have earned," Young said in a district statement.
The teacher-focused results back that up. Fort Mill earned No. 1 Best Places to Teach in South Carolina, the Charlotte area and York County.
The district also ranked No. 2 in South Carolina for Districts with the Best Teachers. Nationally, it placed in the top 4% for both best places to teach (No. 470 of 11,060) and best teachers (No. 492 of 11,089).
Niche bases its annual rankings on U.S. Department of Education data, state assessments, graduation rates, college readiness and reviews from students, parents and educators.
The Niche report caps a strong year of outside recognition for the district. On Aug. 18, all three Fort Mill high schools placed in the state's top 20 in U.S. News and World Report's Best High Schools list, WRHI reported. Fort Mill High School ranked No. 8 statewide, Nation Ford High School ranked No. 12 and Catawba Ridge High School ranked No. 18.
State assessment data presented at a September school board meeting showed Fort Mill outperformed every traditional public school system in South Carolina, according to WRHI. Students sat for 3,001 Advanced Placement exams in 2026, a 67% increase from 1,790 in 2022.
Fort Mill's school board election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
