DARLINGTON, S.C. – Students in Darlington County School District’s (DCSD) Class of 2023 ranked eighth in the state for college or career readiness. The data, outlined in the recently released State Report Cards released by the South Carolina Department of Education, follows news of the exemplary academic growth demonstrated by DCSD’s schools this past school year.
 
DCSD’s top 10 ranking is the highest in the Pee Dee. Of DCSD’s Class of 2023, 75.1 percent of the 671 students earned the classification. DCSD Superintendent Dr. Tim Newman praised the effectiveness of teachers and districtwide programs guiding students to be prepared for life after high school.
 
“It is because of the tremendous work and effort from both our teachers and our students that we can celebrate these achievements,” Newman said. “We strive to prepare our students to pursue their dreams after high school, whether those be in higher learning or a professional field of their choice. This data reflects the success of our educators, as well as students, and our findings in that endeavor.”
 
“College or career ready” is a status determined by the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee based on student achievement on tests such as the SAT, the ACT, Advanced Placement (AP) and Career Readiness Assessments. Also factored is enrollment in programs such as Darlington High School’s Early College Honors, Hartsville High School’s International Baccalaureate Programme, Lamar High School’s Institute of Biomedical Innovation, pathways at the Darlington County Institute of Technology (DCIT), Mayo High School for Math Science and Technology’s multiple dual college credit programs and the district’s Key to Career paid internship program.
 
In the 2022-23 school year, 997 DCSD students enrolled in Career and Technology Education (CTE) courses with 120 students earning completion in their fields of study or “pathways.” This also includes 268 students earning national or state credentials. DCIT provides industry-leading instruction for the majority of those students from across Darlington County.

DCSD’s Key to Career program placed 95 students into paid internships in the 2022-23 school year. With local business partnerships in manufacturing, healthcare, public service, cosmetology and transportation services, DCSD’s student-interns earned a collective $100,695 during the year.