As Florence 1 Schools continues along the trajectory toward the pursuit of academic excellence, a myriad of accomplishments which reflect the drive toward the attainment of that goal became a reality during the 2021-22 school year.  

Florence 1 Schools had 113 graduates who received scholarships totaling more than $23.5 million. Among this class of students, two hundred seventy (270) were named single-cord graduates (having a grade point average of 3.0-3.99).  One hundred fifty-four (154) students were named double-cord graduates (having a grade-point average of 4.0-4.99).  Two hundred seventy-seven (277) were named Life Scholarship recipients (by earing at lease a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, a score of at least 1100 on the SAT, and/or a ranking in the top 30 percent of the graduating class).  Two hundred fifty-four were named Board of Trustees Scholars (by earning a grade point average of 4.5 or higher).  In addition, Florence 1 Schools a d 117 career and technical education scholars, 41 Palmetto Fellows, 13 military cord graduates and 10 South Carolina Achievement Honors. Florence 1 Schools had twenty-three (23) International Baccalaureate Diploma recipients.

A part of this graduating class consisted of ten (10) Florence 1 students who received both a South Carolina High School Diploma and an Associate of Arts degree from Florence-Darlington Technical College.  This is the fifth graduating cohort of Florence 1’s Early College program.

For the fourth year in a row, Florence 1 Schools’ graduation rate has surpassed the state of South Carolina’s graduation rate, according to state report card.  In 2021, Florence 1 had a 91.2 percent graduation rate, the district’s highest graduation rate ever, compared to the state’s 83.3 percent.

Florence 1 Schools students now have more choices when it comes to dual enrollment. High school students now have eight colleges and universities to choose from when selecting dual enrollment courses. They include:  Allen University, Coker University, College of Charleston, Columbia International University, Florence-Darlington Technical College, Francis Marion University, South Carolina State University, and Winthrop University.

Additionally, Florence 1 Schools recognized students who earned perfect scores on standardized tests during the 2020-2021 school year. Fifteen students earned the maximum score on a portion of the SCREADY, one student earned a perfect score on both portions of the SC Ready and three students earned a perfect score on a portion of the SC PASS.

Other firsts for the system which puts Students First! include the introduction of a new reality-based economics course that will give high school students a look at how Wall Street affects their lives on Main Street. Florence One is the first K-12 school district in the state to offer this course with the assistance of a donation from The School Foundation.  In the new Bloomberg Market Concepts course, high school students will learn about economic indicators currency, portfolio management, income and equity and do so in real time in a lab that features stock tickers. 

The Florence 1 Schools transition-to-work program received recognition as Program of the Year by the South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Career Development and Transition.  This program puts special needs students in environments where they get skills training and job experience that will help them gain employment in the future.  It is offered through a partnership with McLeod Health, Pee Dee AHEC, SC Vocational Rehabilitation, SC Disabilities and Special Needs.  

Florence One Schools is proud to say the district earned system accreditation from Cognia, a nonprofit organization providing quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers. With this prestigious accreditation, Florence One Schools is now recognized nationally as a school system that meets Cognia Standards of Quality and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement. In the final report from Cognia, Florence 1 earned an Index of Education Quality (IEQ) Score of 350 out of a possible 400. By comparison, the average IEQ score of 275 shows a system is impacting its students and moving forward consistently.  A score of 350 shows the speed in which Florence 1 Schools is moving students forward.

Florence 1 Schools participated in the Blue-Ribbon Schools of Excellence Program, which is a program operating a one-of-a-kind assessment survey to provide actionable insights that can be used as the starting point for school improvement.  As a result, five (5) Florence 1 Schools were chosen as 2021 Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse Schools:   Briggs, Delmae, Royall, Lucy T. Davis, McLaurin, and Moore. The program offers a comprehensive approach to ensuring areas of professional development and support, best practice sharing, conferences and networking are being met and maintained.

Florence 1 Schools is alleviating its 150 mobile classrooms that have been a part of the district for nearly 20 years. Administrators said they were able to accomplish the goal through building new schools, expanding and renovating others, reconfiguring grades and repurposing spaces to create more classrooms. 

Three new stadiums were completed in the fall of the 2021—one at each high school a where for the first time each high school (South, West and Wilson) hosted football games during the opening season.  Wilson alumni and former NFL player Lawrence Timmons donated funding for the Tigers fieldhouse.

Florence 1 has invested over $1 million in the arts, which has resulted in Broadcast and dance studios along with a new recording studio this year.  South Florence High School students now get a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry with the launch of a new audio engineering program. A brand-new state-of-the-art recording studio has also come to fruition on the campus.  Florence 1 Schools had six all state choral and two all state band students.

Other notable events this year include  the winning of a record number of athletic awards including  a Boys Basketball 4A state championship, twenty-two all-state athletes, as well as athletic coaches and a principal recognized by state athletic associations and award winners in swimming and tennis.

Nearly a dozen schools in Florence 1 will expand after-school Arts and STEM programs after the district received over $700,000 in federal grants. The district received two grants, a COVID Support Grant for childcare providers and a South Carolina Block Grant, totaling $770,000.

Duke Energy donated $450,00 to the Farm at Florence 1 Schools. The School Foundation’s grants committee (TSF) announced the distribute a total of $130,000 in grants to Florence 1 Schools (F1S) for the 2022-2023 school year.

Adult Education Program was selected as a runner-up in the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge. The challenge judging panel — which brought together experts in adult education, workforce development, and social services — selected our design out of 85 submissions from across 31 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. 

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded Florence One’s Advantage Academy a grant for $339,000 to go toward aviation education resulting is the first student in the Aviation program to earn a private pilot license. Advantage Academy partnered with Carolina Flight School and used funds from a recently awarded FAA workforce development grant to provide the actual flight training for the students.

Florence 1 Schools maintained its fiscal integrity and ended the school year with a low Risk Assessment Score.  The rating has continuously improved over the past four years with a move from a rating of 28 (high risk) to a rating of 11 (low risk).  

Florence 1 Schools continues to strive toward excellence.  The programs put into place along with the enhancements of facilities are showing results in our test scores and our culture.