Fort Mill School District (FMSD) remained one of the fastest growing school districts, per capita, in the state during the 2021-2022 school year. The final enrollment reported on the last day of school was 17,785 which includes in-seat and virtual students. FMSD is the largest among all four York County school districts in spite of being the smallest geographic district in the state encompassing 53 square miles.
In spite of the many challenges presented by the recent pandemic, FMSD remains focused on preparing all students to acquire the world class academic, life, and career skills included in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our commitment to placing Children First…Every Day is reflected in all of our continuous improvement efforts that include the academic recovery and return to school plans. Our instructional delivery systems continued to adapt to meet the demands of a rapidly changing environment. We worked through virtual and face-to-face logistical models. The district’s summer academic recovery efforts served more than 250 elementary students in fun-filled camps to help address learning gaps. We continue to offer our middle school summer school program and high school academic credit recovery programs. Additional systems of extra help were also implemented for middle and high school students for the 2021–2022 school year.
The district’s commitment to an “All means All” philosophy continues to permeate school culture. This is seen in our Multi-tiered Support System (MTSS), STEAM, and literacy initiatives. MTSS empowers all students by addressing their academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs through a data-driven process that identifies risk factors. As part of the Read to Succeed Plan, all teachers and administrators are learning and implementing effective reading instructional strategies across the curriculum. Our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) effort includes school-based leadership development, technology and curriculum integration, and community/parent partnerships. FMSD’s digital learning, STEAM, and literacy initiatives positively impact student engagement and ultimately prepare our students for college, career, and citizenship. Fort Mill Schools successfully completed the five-year accreditation engagement review process through Cognia, a global accrediting agency . Along with this quality review process, the district developed and the board approved our new five-year strategic plan for 2022-2027.
Individual and student awards were too numerous to mention, but several deserve special recognition. Over $37 million dollars in scholarships were awarded to our high school graduates. There were 1,137 total graduates, including 228 Honor Graduates, from all three high schools in the district. This academic year, we celebrated our first ever South Carolina Teacher of the Year finalist, Ms. Laura Merk. Ms. Merk’s work is reflective of the caliber and enthusiasm of our teachers in the district, and her recognition at the state level highlighted the excellence of teaching in our district.
Throughout the year, our district and individual schools were recognized nationally. Fort Mill High School was named a 2021 College Access Champion School – one of five schools in the state awarded with this honor by the SC Commission on Higher Education and The College Board. Springfield Middle School was once again re-designated as a School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. The district continued to grow as we opened our twentieth school in August, when Forest Creek Middle School joined the district family. Together those students, staff and administration have created new traditions that will last for years.
Even though we continue to face difficult decisions moving forward, the school board, the administration, the teachers and staff pledge to continue to provide a quality educational program to our constituents.
James N. (Chuck) Epps, Jr., PhD., Superintendent
