Student Achievements

Academic Progress

• Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) Grades 3-8

• 2009 ACT Report
  ACT School Results
  ACT District Results

• The average SAT score for the 2008 senior class was 1474. Approximately 58 percent of our students take the SAT each year. The state average was 1388.

• The Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT), a very rigorous test in English/Language Arts and Mathematics, was administered to students for the first time in April of 1999. Our students exceeded the state average and represent continuous improvement in academic progress. Today, over 70 percent of our students meet or exceed the state standard in the ELA and Math categories.

• Improvements in student achievement at the elementary level can be attributed in part to the reduction of class size in the primary grades, which has remained a priority in Aiken County. The District has been able to hire additional highly qualified teachers to reduce the number of students in first through third grade classes, through a combination of local funds, State Education Accountability Act funds, and federal Title VI Class Size Reduction funds.

• High School students accumulate nearly 300 credits toward college each year as a result of passing college level courses and examinations.

• Aiken High School and North Augusta High School each have an International Baccalaureate Program in progress. Aiken High celebrated its very first International Baccalaureate graduating class in 2003.

• Our rigorous curriculum for both middle school and high school prepares our students for post secondary education and the workforce. Intense study and hands-on training is available through AP courses, the International Baccalaureate program, Career Center opportunities, and the Tech-Prep School-To-Work program just to name a few. Aiken County high school graduates earn nearly 29 million dollars in scholarships annually. This enables over 90 percent of our graduates to enroll in colleges and universities across the nation, as well as attend local colleges and universities. The community embraces public education at all levels- Pre-K through post-secondary.

• Nearly 70 percent of our students immediately enter higher institutions of learning after graduating from high school, and an average of 90% of them pass all courses taken during the freshman year.

• Our students consistently score above the state average on the vast majority of state required tests in mathematics, reading, writing, and science. Our district performance ranks among the ten highest performing districts in the state.

• Our teachers have one of the highest attendance rates in the state (98 percent). They are very hardworking and dedicated professionals.

• Elementary school children are being taught Spanish through our distance learning system. Emphasis is placed on language expression.

• Two hundred nine eighth graders were named Junior Scholars as a result of outstanding performance on verbal and math portions of the PSAT (2005-2006). Our students are one of the largest groups assembled each year to be recognized by the state.

• Title I, ACT 135, and Special Education programs address the academic, emotional, physical, and social-behavioral needs of identified students with an impressive level of success.

• The English as a Second Language program provides language support services to 254 students who have been identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP).

• Alternative school programs are operated to address the academic and emotional needs of nearly three hundred fifty disruptive students who would be expelled from school otherwise.