Oakdale Elementary is the only Rock Hill Schools campus rated Excellent. Eight schools moved up a rating, five slipped and none is Below Average. Every score.
No Rock Hill Schools campus is rated Below Average or Unsatisfactory on South Carolina’s 2026 school report cards. A year ago, three elementary schools were.
The new cards cover the 2025-26 school year. The South Carolina Department of Education released them this month, along with a statewide data file that gives every school’s overall rating and score. Rock Hill Today compared that file with the 2025 file for all 22 rated schools in the district.
Across Rock Hill Schools in 2026:
- Excellent: one school, Oakdale Elementary
- Good: seven schools
- Average: 14 schools
- Below Average or Unsatisfactory: none, down from three in 2025
Eight schools moved up at least one rating level. Five moved down. Nine kept the same rating. The Palmetto School, a small charter school the state lists under the district, is not rated.
The biggest moves
- Oakdale Elementary rose from Good to Excellent. Its score climbed from 57 to 65, the highest in the district. It was rated Excellent for both academic achievement and student progress on its 2026 card.
- Richmond Drive Elementary gained 12 points, from 37 to 49, and moved from Below Average to Average. Its student progress rating was Good, according to its 2026 card.
- York Road Elementary and Ebenezer Avenue Elementary also moved up from Below Average to Average.
- Northwestern High and South Pointe High both rose from Average to Good, with scores of 62 and 63.
- Cherry Park Elementary, the district’s language immersion school, fell two levels, from Excellent to Average. Its score dropped from 62 to 50. Its academic achievement rating stayed Excellent, but its student progress rating was Unsatisfactory, according to its 2026 card.
- Independence Elementary fell 11 points, from 57 to 46, and from Good to Average.
Middle schools had the weakest year. Scores fell at four of the five, and Saluda Trail moved from Good to Average. Rawlinson Road was the exception, rising from Average to Good.
Every school, 2025 and 2026
Scores are overall points out of 100. Each school name links to our page for that school, with its zone, address and calendar.
| School | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern High | Average (57) | Good (62) | Up |
| Rock Hill High | Average (53) | Average (53) | Same |
| South Pointe High | Average (57) | Good (63) | Up |
| Castle Heights Middle | Average (45) | Average (44) | Same |
| Dutchman Creek Middle | Average (47) | Average (41) | Same |
| Rawlinson Road Middle | Average (47) | Good (49) | Up |
| Saluda Trail STEAM Middle | Good (48) | Average (44) | Down |
| Sullivan Middle | Average (47) | Average (41) | Same |
| Cherry Park Elementary | Excellent (62) | Average (50) | Down two |
| Ebenezer Avenue Elementary | Below Average (41) | Average (44) | Up |
| Ebinport Elementary | Good (55) | Average (51) | Down |
| Independence Elementary | Good (57) | Average (46) | Down |
| India Hook Elementary | Good (58) | Good (55) | Same |
| Lesslie Elementary | Average (52) | Average (51) | Same |
| Mount Gallant Elementary | Good (56) | Good (57) | Same |
| Mount Holly Elementary | Good (54) | Good (54) | Same |
| Northside Elementary | Average (49) | Average (47) | Same |
| Oakdale Elementary | Good (57) | Excellent (65) | Up |
| Old Pointe Elementary | Good (53) | Average (47) | Down |
| Richmond Drive Elementary | Below Average (37) | Average (49) | Up |
| Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies | Average (50) | Good (53) | Up |
| York Road Elementary | Below Average (39) | Average (45) | Up |
Ratings use different score ranges for elementary, middle and high schools. Rawlinson Road Middle is rated Good with 49 points, for example, while Cherry Park Elementary is Average with 50.
Graduation rates
All three high schools posted a higher graduation rate on the 2026 cards, according to the state’s data file:
| High school | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 85.4% | 89.5% |
| South Pointe | 84.5% | 88.2% |
| Rock Hill High | 80.8% | 81% |
| Rock Hill Schools, districtwide | 83.3% | 82.8% |
The statewide on-time graduation rate is 87.5%, the highest in a decade, the Department of Education said.
How Rock Hill compares with the state
Statewide, 320 schools are rated Excellent, up from 270 a year ago, according to the department. It said 52.3% of South Carolina schools are now rated Good or Excellent, and 9.9% Below Average or Unsatisfactory.
In Rock Hill Schools, eight of the 22 rated schools, or 36%, are Good or Excellent. None is in the bottom two categories.
Charter schools in Rock Hill
Three larger public charter schools in Rock Hill sit outside Rock Hill Schools. The state rates each of their grade levels separately:
- Legion Collegiate Academy: high school Excellent, 82, up from 81
- York Preparatory Academy: elementary Good (53), middle Good (55), high school Excellent (72)
- Riverwalk Academy: elementary Average (47), middle Good (53), high school Excellent (70)
What it means for you
- Look up your child’s school. Each school’s full card, with test results, student progress and school climate surveys, is on screportcards.com. The district links to them from its State Report Card page.
- Read past the headline rating. The overall rating blends test results, student growth, graduation rates, English learners’ progress, college and career readiness and school climate. Cherry Park’s drop came with an Excellent achievement rating, for example.
- Check which school serves your address. Zones do not follow city limits. Our Rock Hill public schools page has every zone map and the district’s school locator.
- Program Options. Families anywhere in the district can apply by lottery for programs such as language immersion at Cherry Park, arts integration at Northside and accelerated studies at Sunset Park, through the district’s Program Options site. Our Rock Hill schools guide has the district calendar.
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