The South Carolina Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe is unique in all of America. With a campus spanning 1,310 acres of farmland and forest in rural McCormick County, including three miles of shoreline on J. Strom Thurmond Lake, our school is devoted to the mission of growing the future leaders of the Palmetto State’s largest industry: agriculture.
Our daily work is inspired by a vision cast 228 years ago by Dr. John de la Howe, a French physician who emigrated to America and settled the Carolina colonial backcountry. His last will and testament prescribed that his land here would forever be a place devoted to preparing young men and women for lives in agriculture. As the only residential public high school in the United States dedicated to agricultural education, day-to-day life and instruction here blend that timeless vision with 21st century innovation, industry best practices, and a commitment to the ongoing economic vitality of South Carolina agriculture.
Our students enjoy honors-level instruction and hands-on learning opportunities across four pathways: Agriculture Mechanics and Technology, Environmental and Natural Resource Management, Horticulture, and Plant and Animal Systems. One hundred percent of our students are enrolled in honors classes. As part of their daily instruction, our students also engage in valuable networking opportunities with experts and leaders in agriculture and a variety of allied disciplines. Field trips and other off-campus activities offer a glimpse into the real-world value and potential of an agricultural education.
Students at the Governor's School for Agriculture may earn college credit through dual enrollment opportunities with Piedmont Technical College and Lander University. The goal for the class of 2028 is to have more than half of the graduating class earn an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in addition to their diploma. Also, strategic partnerships with Clemson University, South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, and other institutions of higher learning offer our students the chance to engage with academic innovators across South Carolina and Georgia. It should then come as no surprise that the school has earned the globally recognized Cognia Accreditation. Cognia is the capstone in the journey of reinventing John de la Howe. This accreditation sends a strong signal to students, parents, Governor McMaster, and the General Assembly of South Carolina that John de la Howe is a premier educational institution.
Every student at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture participates in the National FFA Organization and in 4-H at the regional, state, and national levels. Two of our students claimed the top spots in Miss FFA, and another holds the runner-up (and Fan Favorite) at the Mr. FFA event. During the school year, students participate in a variety of career development events (CDEs) and supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs) individually and with FFA and 4-H chapters around the state and the Southeast.
Our students also participate in various leadership development opportunities, including Future Business Leaders of America, the National Beta Club, and the American Legion’s Palmetto Boys State and Palmetto Girls State programs.
The Governor’s School for Agriculture was created by an act of the State General Assembly in 2019, and our ongoing recruiting efforts extend to every corner of South Carolina. Residential students who live in nine cottages encircling our central 12-acre Governor’s Green provide the core of our student population, but our enrollment also includes day students who commute from surrounding communities. The achievements of our fourth graduating class of “Aggies” were celebrated in May 2025, as more than 500 friends and family gathered in front of our centerpiece De La Howe Hall to witness the launch of their boundless futures in agriculture beyond high school.
Our most recent graduating class won more than a million dollars in scholarships from higher education institutions across the nation. Others of our alumni have stepped directly out of high school into lucrative careers in agriculture or other industries because their instructional program here yielded technical certifications rendering them immediately career ready. Our school has become one of South Carolina’s leaders in collecting CTE certifications in an array of disciplines.
The Governor's School for Agriculture enjoys a growing family of alumni from the current mission and from previous educational institutions located on the John de la Howe campus. Our nonprofit Alumni Association supports the current mission with activities throughout the year, including decorating our student residential halls. Alumni of the former John de la Howe State School serve on the school's Board of Trustees and on the board of our John de la Howe Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers financial assistance for student activities and other campus needs.
Our Aggies are outwardly focused and participate in community events across the region, including programs sponsored by the McCormick County Chamber of Commerce, the McCormick County Humane Society, and the Department of Social Services McCormick office. Even as students return home to their families, summertime remains a busy season on the John de la Howe campus. Our staff welcomes week-long camps curated by South Carolina State University, South Carolina Farm Bureau, and other community partners. Our Education Center staff hosts a series of summer day camps that engage students of all ages. Throughout the school year, field trip groups from McCormick County Public Schools and other school districts across South Carolina, as well as homeschool cooperatives, visit for a taste of everyday Aggie life.
Not content to rest on our successes, our team is now preparing to introduce future instructional pathways in Agritourism and Culinary Arts. The South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture will continue to prepare future farmers with grit and resilience, entrepreneurs with imagination and industrious spirits, scientists with an eye toward experimentation and innovation, and agricultural educators committed to preparing the next generation of world-class agriculturalists.
The future of South Carolina gathers here at the John de la Howe campus every day to collect academic instruction and hands-on career readiness in an idyllic, safe, and welcoming setting two and a quarter century in the making. Our past is rich with colorful history, but our future is limitless for our students in the vital calling to become faithful stewards of our natural resources, and promote the growth of sustainable agriculture in South Carolina, across America, and around the world.
