High Schools in Edgefield 01

Strom Thurmond High is the only high school in the Edgefield 01 district, serving 720 students in grades 9-12 in Johnston, SC.

This school is showing real momentum. In just one year, its state ranking jumped from the 16th percentile (1-star) to the 40th percentile (2-star), a remarkable 50-position climb. The standout success is in English 2, where 88.8% of students are proficient—beating the state average by 5 points. However, the picture is uneven. English 1 proficiency sits at just 50.3%, a 38-point gap from English 2, suggesting the school excels at developing literacy over time but struggles with incoming readiness. More concerning are the persistent gaps in U.S. History (39% vs. 62.6% statewide) and Algebra 1 (45.7% vs. 74% statewide), both showing 23-28 point deficits that have remained consistent across years. The school also faces a chronic absenteeism rate of 26.8%, which is 4.5 points above the state average and likely a hidden barrier to learning.

On the positive side, the graduation rate of 88.6% exceeds the state average, and the dropout rate of 2.1% matches the state exactly. The school invests heavily in its students, spending $17,471 per pupil with a favorable 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. The rapid ranking improvement despite below-average test scores in most subjects suggests the state's accountability formula is rewarding factors beyond test proficiency, such as graduation rates and student growth. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in upper-level English and a supportive learning environment, but one that needs focused attention on math, history, and attendance. The resources are there—the question is whether they can be strategically directed to close these achievement gaps and sustain the upward trajectory.