Dutch Fork High School (DFHS) is committed to creating an educational environment that will ensure our students' success in school and life. We understand that the knowledge, skills, and competencies acquired now will be the foundation for future learning.
World Class Knowledge - During the 2017-2018 school year, Dutch Fork High School continued to excel in academics. We have a superior cadre of teachers who are truly dedicated to student success. DFHS continues to recruit and retain the very best teachers possible. We have established a rigorous and relevant curriculum that ensures our students exceed established standards. Our SAT, ACT, and AP scores are some of the highest scores in South Carolina and above the national average. The Washington Post and Niche.com ranked Dutch Fork among the nation’s most academically rigorous and challenging high schools. Additionally, 276 out of 403 Seniors have GPAs of 3.0 or higher, which qualifies them for the Hope and Life Scholarships. The graduating class of 2018 had 10 National Merit Finalists, 51 Palmetto Fellows, and 279 students who earned state scholarships. Our band, chorus, orchestra, drama, and dance students received superior ratings at all of their competitions. The Dutch Fork ROTC Program was named a Top National Distinguished ROTC Unit.
World Class Skills - District Five has implemented a comprehensive technology plan. The guiding principle is to ensure that students can be successful in school and compete globally. Our focus is to help students become creators, communicators, critical thinkers, and collaborators. The DFHS learning environment allows students the most freedom to work collaboratively and independently as they engage in authentic, personalized, and inquiry-based learning opportunities. Many students take advantage of the 25 AP course offerings and multiple honors course offerings, where they learn to be prepared for future opportunities. Project Lead the Way offerings are university accepted and have a demonstrated history of helping students achieve their post-secondary goals.
Our standards for rigorous instruction continue to be a focus as evidenced by our social studies teacher, Ali Hendrick, whose impressive implementation of best practices and creative teaching earned her the coveted award of Teacher of the Year for our district and qualifies her for the state teacher of the year.
Life and Career Characteristics - At Dutch Fork High School our goal is also to provide our students with experiences and programs of study that will make them good citizens. We know that characteristics taught in school will carry over to their college and career successes.We continue to implement PBIS, which is a decision-making framework that guides selection, integration, and implementation of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral practices for improving student outcomes. The focus of PBIS is teaching and acknowledging positive behavior while providing a targeted support system to individual students.
Gerald Gary, Ed.D., Principal
Jim Mensch, Ph. D., SIC Chair