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Historic gains among all students tested point to even stronger results when continuously enrolled student report card data is released in October. 

Charleston County School District (CCSD) students continued their academic momentum in 2025–2026, setting district records on SC READY in English Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Science while outperforming the state in all three subjects. 

The results released today include all students tested, including students who may have only recently enrolled in CCSD. In October, state School Report Card results will reflect students who were continuously enrolled in CCSD. Historically, those results have shown even stronger performance. 

CCSD’s progress is even more significant when viewed over time. Since 2021, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations has increased by 18.6 percentage points in ELA and 12.9 points in Math. Gains among Black students have been even greater, increasing 23.7 points in ELA and 14 points in Math during that same period. 

2026 SC READY at a Glance, Grades 3-8

Subject	CCSD	State	CCSD vs State
ELA	67.2%	61.3%	+5.9 points
Math	59.2%	47.9%	+11.3 points
Science	60.3%	51.8%	+8.5 points

 

All three results represent the highest performance CCSD has recorded on SC READY in each subject. Even more encouraging, CCSD is seeing gains across every major student group in all three tested subjects (ELA, Math, and Science) demonstrating broad-based progress across the district.

“I’m incredibly proud of what our students have accomplished,” said Superintendent of Schools Anita Huggins. “These results represent countless hours of hard work by our students and the educators who believe in them, challenge them, and support them every day. They also show that the work we are doing across CCSD is making a difference. We’re proud of how far our students have come, and we’re even more excited about where they are headed.” 

SC READY ELA

CCSD reached a new district high in ELA, with 67.2 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations, up from 65.0 percent last year and 5.9 percentage points above the state (61.3). CCSD outperformed the state in every tested grade, 3–8.

Additional highlights include:

• Every tested grade improved from last year, led by a 4.2-point increase in third grade.
• Sixteen (16) schools improved by at least five percentage points, including three with double-digit gains: Meeting Street Elementary at Burns, Meeting Street Elementary at Brentwood, and Oakland Elementary. 
• Every major student group measured districtwide improved, including Multilingual Learners (+5.4), Hispanic students (+4.5), pupils in poverty (+3.0), and Black/African American students (+2.4).
• Charleston had a higher percentage of students scoring meets or exceeds than other districts in the tri-county region. 
  • Charleston - 67.2%
  • Dorchester 2 - 66.0%
  • Berkeley - 58.4%
  • Dorchester 4 - 51.5%

SC READY Math

CCSD students made particularly strong gains in Math, with 59.2 percent meeting or exceeding expectations, an increase of 5.2 percentage points in one year and the district’s highest Math performance on SC READY.

CCSD outperformed the state by 11.3 percentage points overall and exceeded state performance in every tested grade, leading by double digits in fifth grade (10.1), sixth grade (14.6), seventh grade (11.8), and eighth grade (12.9).

Additional highlights include:

•  Every grade improved, with eighth grade increasing 12.5 percentage points.
• 10 schools posted gains of more than 10 points: Jane Edwards, Meeting Street Elementary at Burns, Military Magnet Middle, Meeting Street Elementary at Brentwood. Malcolm C. Hursey, Haut Gap Middle, East Cooper Montessori, Camp Road Middle, Baptist Hill Middle, and Jerry Zucker Middle.
• Gains were seen across all major student groups, including pupils in poverty (+5.9), Hispanic students (+4.6), Black/African American students (+4.5), White (+4.4), and students receiving general education services (+5.7).
• CCSD outperformed other districts in the tri-county region.
  • Charleston - 59.2%
  • Dorchester 2 - 52.6%
  • Berkeley - 43.6%
  • Dorchester 4 -  34.9%
  • “Seeing this level of growth in mathematics is incredibly encouraging,” said Deputy Superintendent Dr. Luke Clamp. “Math is an area where we have been very intentional about strengthening instruction and providing teachers and students with the right supports. These gains show that work is paying off, and we’re especially proud to see progress across every grade level.” 

SC READY Science

CCSD also reached a new high in Science, with 60.3 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations, compared with 51.8 percent statewide. That represents a 9.0 advantage over the state for Grade 4 and  8.0 points ahead of the state for Grade 6. Overall, it is a 5.8-point increase from last year.

•  Fourth-grade performance increased 6.7 points, while sixth-grade performance increased 4.9 points.
• 18 schools improved by more than 10 percentage points: Charleston Progressive Academy, Meeting Street Elementary at Burns, Meeting Street Elementary at Brentwood, Memminger Elementary, Carolina Voyager Charter, E.B. Ellington Elementary, Ladson Elementary, St. James Santee, Haut Gap Middle, James Island Elementary, Deer Park Middle, North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary, Minnie Hughes Elementary, Drayton Hall Elementary, Oakland Elementary, Chicora Elementary, Mamie Whitesides Elementary, and Pepperhill Elementary. 
• Another 18 schools improved by more than 5 percentage points. 
• All major student groups in CCSD made gains from 2024-25, including the following: Black (+8.8), Hispanic (+6.7), White (+3.6), Other Ethnic Groups (+2.4), Special Education (+2.3), General Education (+6.1), Multilingual Learners (+6.0), English Proficient (+6.1), Male (+6.6), and Female (+5.2). 
• CCSD outperformed other districts in the tri-county region.
  • Charleston - 60.3%
  • Dorchester 2 - 55.7%
  • Berkeley - 47.6%
  • Dorchester 4 - 43.4%

“These results give us a lot to celebrate, but what excites me most is what they tell us about where we are headed,” said Superintendent Anita Huggins. “We are seeing meaningful progress across grades, subjects, schools, and student groups, and that doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from staying focused on great teaching, giving schools the support they need, and believing that every student can achieve at a high level. We have more work ahead of us, but there is no question that CCSD is moving in the right direction.” 

The results for all schools and districts can be found here. For more information about CCSD data, contact the Office of Communications at (843) 937-6303.