On behalf of Horry County Schools (HCS) and the Horry County Board of Education, we have the privilege to present to our stakeholders the 2025-2026 State Report Card. The report card provides a collective summary of the District’s progress in upholding our commitment to equip our students with the world-class skills articulated in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.

This report card provides information about student performance, but numbers alone do not convey the energy and creative effort that contributed to that performance. This past year, teachers, school administrators, and district staff were committed to our students’ success and worked diligently to provide a safe, healthy environment in which they could grow as learners.

Many honors and awards received during the year paid tribute to the District’s schools, students, and staff. HCS Scholars Academy High School earned the highest state report card grade of any school in the state for the second year in a row, and it also won the Palmetto’s Finest Award. The number of Cognia STEM-certified schools increased from 8 to 11, with all 9 base high schools now STEM-certified. Nine schools earned distinguished program recognition from Project Lead the Way, and Loris High's FFA chapter was named a National Chapter Model of Excellence.

Of the 3300+ graduates in the class of 2026, 65 percent indicated they were advancing to higher education, and 70 percent met eligibility requirements for S.C. Education Lottery scholarships. Considering all scholarship sources, graduates earned a combined $98.3 million. Nearly 67 percent of graduating seniors earned South Carolina Seals of Distinction, and the class completed 4381 dual-credit courses. HCS students outperformed the state on SC READY, the End-of-Course Examination Program, and the SC Career Ready Test, and their SAT composite scores surpassed both state and national benchmarks. The district celebrated six National Merit Scholarship winners from three different schools, and a Myrtle Beach High graduate was recognized as a 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholar.

In the performing and visual arts, the Myrtle Beach High and Socastee High theatre companies both won SCTA State Championships, with Socastee also ranking in the top three at the Southeastern Theatre Conference. A student at our Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology (AAST) was selected to perform in the 2026 Rose Parade as a member of the Bands of America Honor Band, while a Socastee High student was named the overall high school state winner for Youth Art Month. Additionally, several students earned top placements in state-level visual arts and design contests, including the Read Across South Carolina competition and the South Carolina State Fair.

In extracurricular and STEM events, Conway FFA captured a state championship in soil judging, AAST Robotics won a state Industrial Design Award, and St. James High placed first in the USC Math Competition. A Socastee Middle student won the regional spelling bee for the third consecutive year, advancing to the national finals, and multiple student projects advanced to the National History Day finals. Finally, our student-athletes captured state championships in tennis, golf, swimming, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, and dance, alongside an incredible 14 state titles in track and field.

The 2025-2026 school year was a successful year with many accomplishments. We continue to experience stable enrollment and continuous improvement in multiple performance measures. We continue to look for innovative ways to inspire new possibilities within our students. Most importantly, we will always uphold great reverence for the sacred trust our parents and community have placed in us to prepare the next generation for college, careers, and citizenship.

Clifford Jones, Superintendent

David Cox, Chairman of the Horry County Board of Education