The Aiken County Public School District, South Carolina’s emerging premier school district, is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by ensuring that all students from Kindergarten through twelfth grade are on a clear trajectory to College and Career Readiness.
The Aiken County School District was recognized as the very first school District in South Carolina to receive the ‘Purple Star’ School District designation. The Purple Star is a national program aimed at distinguishing District’s that make a significant commitment to support military connected students and their families transition to new schools and support them as they relocate due to deployments or duty assignments as well as other transitions and challenges faced by military families.
The Aiken County Public School District is a literacy and numeracy-focused school system distinguished by rigorous, personalized learning opportunities; safe, state of the art learning environments, highly effective, service-driven professionals; and mutually beneficial partnerships. A strategic focus on increased rigor, a challenging, coherent curriculum and instructional delivery model has resulted in an overall steady increase in the metrics used to monitor the overall success of our district in achieving our mission.
Aiken County provides challenging, authentic and personalized learning experiences for all students including thematic programs at the elementary, middle and high schools levels. Beginning in Kindergarten students may elect to join German, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish dial-immersion programs. Several elementary schools are undergirded on a Leadership Model through the Leader-in-Me school model to prepare students with college, career, and life-readiness skills that are necessary to thrive in today’s ever-changing, fast-paced environment. The District also offers three elementary language programs open to Kindergarten students including Mandarin, German and Spanish.
Aiken County high school’s offer Advanced Placement Academies open to all students at South Aiken High and North Augusta High, and the rigorous Cambridge International program at both Aiken High School and Schofield Middle School. There are several opportunities for high school students to earn college credits while still in high school through the Early College program at Midland Valley High or through admittance to the Aiken Scholars Academy, which allows high school students the opportunity to earn an associate degree before graduation. The Aiken Scholars Academy is a partnership with the University of South Carolina where students take accelerated classes during their freshman and sophomore years and then take USCA classes to earn college credits during their junior and senior years.
The Aiken County Public School District serves 24,000 students in 45 schools – 21 elementary, 11 middle, 8 high schools, a career and technology center, 2 charter schools, an adult education center, and an early learning center.