In Darlington County School District, we believe it is imperative to provide all children with positive, rigorous, and innovative educational experiences. By working together, we remain focused on providing the support and opportunities essential to mold our students into successful lifelong learners.

We provide challenging and differentiated instruction for more than 9,100 students across 22 schools and programs. Specialized programs include a countywide magnet high school, a countywide Career and Technology Education Center, a K-12 virtual academy, elementary Montessori program, a Biomedical program, an Early College program, an International Baccalaureate program, Adult Education and more. All schools and the district are fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/AdvancED and the S.C. Department of Education.

The 2021-22 school year saw our schools return to in-person learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, though managing extraordinary quarantine and social distancing challenges tested the resolve of our educators and students for many months. In the face of that adversity, however, our teachers never wavered in their mission to educate students and battle “COVID Lag” from the previous school year.

DCSD added new reading and math interventionists as well as reading and math recovery specialists across the district, who worked with targeted groups of students to boost academic growth. The district also created new part-time positions and engaged retired educators. Strengthened by a new after-school Academic Enhancement Program, DCSD saw significant academic growth from our students indicated by Fall to Spring MAP assessments.

Our evolving initiative to create and maintain a common curriculum, resources, and assessments in all of our schools continues to prove effective. Teachers and administration from across DCSD collaboratively study state standards in all grade levels and subjects and extract the most critical standards to emphasize during instruction. Common pacing guides help DCSD create consistency in classroom instruction. Additionally, our Professional Learning Communities enable educators to work collaboratively to study assessment data and teaching strategies in order to employ best practices.

The Darlington County Board of Education and district completed several major capital projects and upgrades throughout the school year and continues to explore means to provide the safest and most state-of-the-art learning environments for all students. Safety and security are the highest priorities for our students and staff. 

DCSD launched the “Orange Frog” initiative in 2021-22, which is a social emotional focused program aimed at investing in our employees and encouraging all Darlington County stakeholders to promote joy, unity and service in the county. DCSD believes we must engage everyone in our area to not only strengthen education in our county but also to always work improve the quality of life here.

We believe that exceptional teachers are vital to a student’s success, and DCSD is working to invest in our educators and their environments. Our students are the future, and we must do everything we can to strengthen their pathways to success. We work hand-in-hand with our Board of Education in this mission, and we are building a world-class education system by focusing on the needs of every child, every day.

Dr. Timothy Newman, Superintendent