The School District of Greenville County (Greenville County Schools) is helping all students develop the world-class knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by connecting students to engaging classes and meaningful experiences. Our vision is that students are inspired, supported, and prepared to reach their maximum potential. In doing so, we provide diverse opportunities for individual growth and development through an emphasis on project-based and work-based learning and the implementation of innovative courses in the arts, architecture, engineering, industry, business, law, agriculture, health science, and more.
Our Graduation Plus initiative encourages every GCS student to cross the graduation stage with a diploma PLUS college credit and/or industry certification in hand. Graduation Plus connects students to the 16 career clusters identified in the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) by enhancing relevance and rigor at all levels. As a result, the district has a robust 4K program and works closely with community partners to ensure school readiness for all students in Greenville County. Elementary schools focus on building a sound foundation in basic disciplines and increasing students’ exposure to a variety of careers and to the connection between education and career choices. At the middle level, enhanced academic rigor through an expansion of high school offerings is paired with greater exposure to career and college opportunities and an introduction to the career clusters. High school students, assisted by their counselors, are customizing their schedules around potential college and/or career paths, and we continue to expand our programming to connect them with work-based learning opportunities with business and industry partners, including paid and unpaid internships, apprenticeships, and job shadowing. These efforts are creating graduates who finish high school with an industry credential, an advanced technical certification, completion of freshman-level college courses, or in some cases, significant progress toward a specific college degree (including engineering, architecture, and elementary and secondary education). Expanded dual-credit and AP options across the District provide opportunities for students to prove themselves in college-level courses while still in high school, and help families save on the cost of college. Career and Technical Education offerings have been expanded both in our high schools and at our career centers and are seeing record enrollments, both in traditional offerings such as welding, cosmetology, and culinary arts as well as newer programs such as health professions, mechatronics, and computer-integrated manufacturing. In 2023 the District opened a CTE Innovation Center, piloting cutting-edge programming developed with industry partners to include aerospace technologies, automation and robotics, clean energy technology, emerging automotive research, and networking/cybersecurity. We have implemented the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Program at two high schools and two middle schools to encourage and assist students who aspire to be the first in their families to pursue higher education. Additionally, our district was a leader in advocating for the statewide Employability Credential for eligible special needs students, and we have a cohort of students complete this rigorous program each year.
Our district is a unified system covering more than 800 square miles with 49 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 2 K-8 schools, 15 high schools, and 12 special schools, centers, and child development centers. The District has a student-population of more than 77,000, which ranks as the 43rd largest in the nation, and a significant percentage of our students take advantage of school choice to match their needs and interests. Choice is driven in part by thriving magnet schools, STEAM/engineering-focused schools, career and technical education centers, a Fine Arts Center, International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs, a robust 100% virtual program, and other schools with specific programmatic or delivery designs.
The District’s focus on learning and increased rigor has resulted in an upward trend in the markers used to define success, including SAT, ACT, state testing, and the graduation rate, which reached an all-time high of 88.7% in 2024. Additionally, the Class of 2024 scored above both the state and national averages on both the SAT and ACT and claimed $168 million in scholarship offers. For more information on Greenville County Schools, visit www.greenville.k12.sc.us.
