Florence 1 Schools graduation rate among the best in S.C.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - Florence 1 Schools graduation rate has ranked top three in all South Carolina school districts.

The school districts achieved a 94.3% graduation rating for 2022 with 1001 graduates; a leap from the 83.66% the district received just three years ago, placing them 44th in the state.

The three high schools in the district had graduation rates above 90%, West Florence had the highest graduation rate of 95.6 percent.

Florence 1 had the highest poverty rate among the top three school districts, at 70%, while first-ranked York 4 came in at 21% and second-ranked York 2′s poverty rate was 33 percent.

“When you look at our achievement through the lens of poverty and compare our 70 percent poverty rate to the other top school districts, it is extremely amazing how far we have come as an academic institution,” said Florence 1 Superintendent Richard O’Malley.

Wilson, one of the three high schools in the district, has consistently improved over the years. In 2022, the high school’s graduation rate was 93.9%. Wilson Principal Eric Robinson said the steady increase is been a group effort.

“I am so proud of our students for this great achievement of surpassing our graduation from a year ago,” said Robinson. “I am also extremely proud to be part of a school district that is ranked in the top of the state. This is all a result of teachers and school counselors who support our students.”

Superintendent O’Malley said his goal for the district when he arrived was to build a winning school, and the growth so far has been tremendous.

“It does not go unnoticed by me, the hard work and dedication it takes on the part of our staff and all of our students to achieve these results,” said O’Malley. “Graduation rates are used to rank schools throughout the nation and we are showing that our schools truly are among the best. When I came here I said that I wanted to build a winning school district, on the athletic fields, in the music room, in the band room and in the classroom. We want to be number one and we are almost there.”