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Strom Thurmond High

Q: Is Strom Thurmond High a good school?

Strom Thurmond High ranks 148 th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 40% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Strom Thurmond High is a mid-sized public high school in Johnston, SC, serving 720 students in grades 9-12 within the rural Edgefield 01 school district, where a significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The school is showing promising signs of a turnaround. After several years of declining rankings, Strom Thurmond jumped from the 16th percentile to the 40th percentile in the most recent state rankings, earning a 2-star rating. This broad-based improvement is visible across many student groups, including notable gains for female students, African American students, and those from low-income backgrounds. Perhaps the most striking success story is for students with disabilities, who moved from the 12th percentile to the 70th percentile in a single year—an extraordinary improvement that suggests targeted interventions are working. The school also shines in English 2, where 88.83% of students scored proficient, exceeding the state average of 83.79%. Graduation rates have climbed steadily to 88.6%, now above the state average, and the dropout rate matches the state at 2.1%.

However, significant challenges remain. Chronic absenteeism affects 26.8% of students—well above the district (22.9%) and state (22.3%) averages, though it has improved dramatically from 37.5% two years ago. Algebra 1 proficiency, while improving, still trails the state by more than 28 points, and the school's gifted and talented program has seen a puzzling decline in outcomes. The school spends substantially more per student ($17,471) than nearby North Augusta High ($11,560) or Fox Creek High ($9,211), yet Fox Creek High achieves better outcomes while spending less than half as much. Strom Thurmond currently outperforms Saluda High and Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/ High but trails Fox Creek High, North Augusta High, and Aiken High. The school appears to be at an inflection point—recent gains suggest momentum, but sustaining this progress will require addressing absenteeism and the Algebra 1 gap while figuring out what's working in English 2 and for disabled students, then applying those strategies more broadly.

720

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,471

Per pupil spending ?

68.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1131 Columbia Road
Johnston, SC 29832

(803) 275-1768

District: Edgefield 01

Feeder schools for Strom Thurmond High:

Elementary:	Douglas Elementary
	Johnston Elementary
	Merriwether Elementary
	W. E. Parker Elementary
Middle:	Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle
	Merriwether Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.8%

White:

39.4%

Hispanic:

11.5%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Strom Thurmond High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 17th percentile in 2025 → 40th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 40th (2026) from a 17th-percentile low (2025)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (60% vs 69% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!U.S. History and the Constitution scores 24 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg60%

South Carolina avg69%

148^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

39^th of 75Edgefield 01 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	148 of 248	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.4	200 of 240	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	192 of 243	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	183 of 237	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	167 of 226	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.9	168 of 227	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	123 of 225	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	142 of 216	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.7	111 of 223	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.7	108 of 231	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	43.9	114 of 232	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.5	112 of 210	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.4	94 of 203	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	44.1	127 of 202	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.0	113 of 199	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.6	80 of 199	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.4	105 of 188	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.9	120 of 185	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.7	115 of 191	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.3	152 of 191	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	54.8	112 of 187	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	102 of 200	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.7	179 of 196	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	168 of 197	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	189 of 199	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	141 of 190	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	162 of 178	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	123 of 184	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.9	124 of 183	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.3	43 of 140	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	18.3	130 of 147	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.5	121 of 143	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	120 of 137	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	129 of 229	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	12.2	213 of 229	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	32.0	161 of 231	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.9	164 of 223	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	169 of 220	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.6	149 of 213	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.6	115 of 213	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.9	142 of 210	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	6.3	147 of 155	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	141 of 154	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	73.5	21 of 156	86.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	14.1	109 of 119	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.6	154 of 241	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	13.9	212 of 230	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	204 of 235	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	205 of 226	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	201 of 220	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	185 of 213	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	148 of 217	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.2	163 of 214	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.4	158 of 233	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.7	178 of 228	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	216 of 234	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	190 of 229	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	173 of 224	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	167 of 215	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	135 of 218	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	145 of 213	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	128 of 203	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.7	168 of 200	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	183 of 202	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	162 of 197	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	170 of 192	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	131 of 189	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	100 of 191	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	107 of 185	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2025)69th percentile+53 vs school

African American (2026)49th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)36th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)32nd percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2023)8th percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)5th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 289%+5 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 250%-11 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution39%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Strom Thurmond High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2024)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Strom Thurmond High	Public	9-12	1131 Columbia Road	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 275-1768	720	47	15.3	68.2%	284 (39.4%)	308 (42.8%)	83 (11.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	40 (5.6%)	42.6	148^th of 248 public high schools	40.3%		18.4	200^th of 240 public high schools	16.7%	52									50.3	39.0	88.8	$17,471	$2,173	$625	$2,798	$11,945	$2,728	$14,673
Strom Thurmond Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	17 Par Drive	Johnston	29832	Edgefield County	Edgefield 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 275-1767	0	12	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Trenton High	Public	9-12	84 Greenhouse Road	Trenton	29847	Edgefield County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-3044	3	4	.7	66.7%	0 (0.0%)	3 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/ High	Public	6-12	1071 Trojan Road	Monetta	29105	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 685-2100	460	37	12.4	100.0%	176 (38.3%)	155 (33.7%)	104 (22.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	24.2	197^th of 248 public high schools	20.6%		41.4	136^th of 240 public high schools	43.3%	61	38.2	46.3	39.3	19.1	24.1	19.7	29.4		54.9	39.4	71.4	$13,833	$1,036	$1,287	$2,323	$10,274	$1,236	$11,510
Fox Creek High	Public, Charter	9-12	165 Shortcut Road	North Augusta	29860	Edgefield County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 613-9435	672	43	15.8	9.1%	476 (70.8%)	109 (16.2%)	50 (7.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.1%)	67	77^th of 248 public high schools	69.0%		66.1	60^th of 240 public high schools	75.0%	17								90.0	63.3	61.7	91.4	$9,211	$141	$63	$204	$8,344	$663	$9,007
Saluda High	Public	9-12	160 Ivory Key Road	Saluda	29138	Saluda County	Saluda 01	No	No	No	Yes	(864) 445-3011	714	43	16.6	75.6%	215 (30.1%)	159 (22.3%)	319 (44.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.4%)	26.5	190^th of 248 public high schools	23.4%		16.2	206^th of 240 public high schools	14.2%	16									52.5	42.9	74.5	$11,923	$974	$929	$1,903	$9,000	$1,020	$10,020
Aiken Scholars Academy	Public	9-12	471 University Parkway Box 12	Aiken	29801	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 641-2428	176	7	25.1	30.7%	114 (64.8%)	23 (13.1%)	12 (6.8%)	9 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (10.2%)	97.7	4^th of 248 public high schools	98.4%		97.5	3^rd of 240 public high schools	98.8%	1								100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$41,824	$2,717	$2,560	$5,277	$31,869	$4,678	$36,547
Aiken High	Public	9-12	449 Rutland Drive	Aiken	29801	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 641-2500	1,097	78	14.0	100.0%	430 (39.2%)	501 (45.7%)	108 (9.8%)	9 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.3%)	46.9	134^th of 248 public high schools	46.0%		31.8	165^th of 240 public high schools	31.3%	31								82.5	48.6	60.6	82.4	$13,738	$712	$502	$1,214	$10,807	$1,718	$12,524
Aiken County Career Center	Public	10-12	2455 Jefferson Davis Highway	Warrenville	29851	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 593-7300	0	19	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Midland Valley High	Public	9-12	227 Mustang Drive	Graniteville	29829	Aiken County	Aiken 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 593-7100	1,558	88	17.7	74.0%	656 (42.1%)	500 (32.1%)	323 (20.7%)	8 (0.5%)	6 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (4.2%)	42.2	149^th of 248 public high schools	39.9%		34.9	152^nd of 240 public high schools	36.7%	3								70.4	48.4	58.5	81.3	$11,886	$590	$945	$1,534	$9,029	$1,323	$10,352

Frequently Asked Questions about Strom Thurmond High

How many students attend Strom Thurmond High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 720 students attended Strom Thurmond High.

What is the racial makeup of Strom Thurmond High?

Students at Strom Thurmond High are 43% African American, 39% White, 12% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Strom Thurmond High in?

Edgefield 01

Is Strom Thurmond High a good school?

Strom Thurmond High ranks 148^th of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Strom Thurmond High?

Strom Thurmond High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Douglas Elementary
Elementary : Johnston Elementary
Elementary : Merriwether Elementary
Elementary : W. E. Parker Elementary
Middle : Johnston-Edgefield-Trenton Middle
Middle : Merriwether Middle

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.