Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, Cherokee County School District continued its commitment to championing the three pillars of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate with an unwavering focus on our students’ development of World Class Skills, acquisition of Knowledge, and attainment of Life and Career Characteristics. As the 2026-2027 academic year approaches, our district is more resolute than ever to empower our students through college and career readiness and further equip them for future successes.
Cherokee County School District offers its students opportunities for scholastic, artistic, and athletic growth through high-quality educational and extracurricular programming. By continually reviewing and revising our district departments (Curriculum and Instruction, Operations, Finance, and Student Support Services), Cherokee County School District makes improvements, accelerating growth among our schools and individual students. We are dedicated to recruiting and retaining teachers of the highest caliber, which is supported through professional learning opportunities and teacher coaching cycles. Cherokee County School District is also a designated AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) district and has fully implemented the tenets of the AVID program in each elementary, middle, and high school; the district is persistent in continuing program alignment with focused professional development for educators at every level, thus ensuring the program’s implementation continues with intentionality.
Our district’s attention to student growth and success through World Class Skill development and Knowledge attainment expands yearly and is responsive to the needs of our learners and the community. Secondary students have a bevy of honors, Advanced Placement, and Dual Enrollment course options available, providing both rigor and challenge coupled with a head start toward future academic and career endeavors. Our youngest learners—those from 3K and 4K programs—benefit from a district-wide Early Childhood Program. Students at every grade level are instructed by educators who teach using High-Quality Instructional Materials and district pacing and curriculum guides that support standards mastery through student engagement and individualized differentiation. With these scaffolds and supports in place, Cherokee County School District witnessed 530 learners become high school graduates in 2026, earning more than $21,836,770 in scholarships for their collective academic, artistic, and athletic accomplishments. Cherokee County School District anticipates the achievement of future accolades with 14 Junior Scholars recognized in 2025-2026 and more students engaging in college and career-focused Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and Career and Technical Education courses in the coming year.
During the past school year, academics continued to be a strong area of focus for district educators. The student-centered coaching cycles previously introduced in 2024 gained momentum as more professional learning centered on Teacher Clarity, Learning Intentions, and Success Criteria was introduced and explored. Our commitment to excellent instruction will continue in the new school year and will grow to include expansive artistic opportunities, especially through the theatre arts. Cherokee County School District’s career center, The Institute of Innovation, will continue to play a dynamic role in providing career-focused educational pursuits that align with students’ individual interests and needs.
Cherokee County School District’s technological growth continues to increase, and we maintain our status as a 1:1 technology district. Not only do students have access to devices (Chromebooks or laptops for students in grades 3-12, classroom devices for students in grades 5K-2), but we are also continually updating those devices and our integration of technology to support a variety of teaching and learning methods; such attention promotes equity and access by offering differentiation to meet the needs of all learners.
Finally, Cherokee County School District’s insistence on maintaining strong community partnerships remains an unremitting aspect of our work and our commitment to student success. Our business and industry partners and community organizations work with us to provide opportunities for students and their families. These are realized through school supply drives, opportunities for resource allocation, and community health initiatives. Likewise, these partnerships allow our district chances to celebrate educator excellence through recognition programs such as our Crystal Apple Award, individual schools’ monthly and yearly teacher and staff awards, American Education Week activities, and Teacher Appreciation Week events.
The 2026-2027 school year will put Cherokee County School District’s newly-developed strategic plan into play. In its creation, we were responsive to both our educators’ and community members’ feedback, resulting in a document reflective of the diverse and varied needs of learners throughout our district. Throughout Cherokee County School District, there is a shared sense of purpose, and this collective educator and community efficacy will strengthen each student’s learning experience and become a transformational force within their academic journeys. Cherokee County School District renews its pledge daily to provide outstanding educational opportunities for “Every Student, Every Day.”
Dr. Raashad Fitzpatrick
Superintendent
Cherokee County School District
