About Us
Nestled in the heart of the Palmetto State, the Kershaw County School District is home to more than 10,500 students and over 1,000 employees. Our district is accredited by the South Carolina Department of Education and Cognia. The district’s general fund budget totals more than $80 million. Our graduation rate is over 90%, and more than 90 percent of our graduates attend college or some other form of continuing education, join the military or enter the workforce. An innovative partnership is providing qualified Kershaw County graduates with full two-year scholarships to Central Carolina Technical College.
Strong leadership
The Kershaw County Board of School Trustees provides solid leadership in preparing our students to be productive citizens in a global society. Our district has nine instructional goals based on state and federal accountability measures. A strategic plan guides district decision-making.
Outstanding workforce
More than 70 percent of Kershaw County’s 750 teachers have advanced degrees, and 15% are National Board certified. Our teachers have an average of 16 years of experience.
Focus on academic achievement
Student learning is at the center of everything in our schools. Our schools regularly earn recognition for having test scores in the top ten school districts in the state. Our graduating seniors earn over $11.9 million in college scholarships.
Small class sizes
The Kershaw County Board of School Trustees has established standards for class sizes, paying special attention to smaller student-teacher ratios at the lower levels. Currently, we average 1:22 in kindergarten, 1:20 in 1st-2nd grades, 1:25 in 3rd-8th grades, and 1:25 in 9th-12th grades.
Technology as a valuable resource
The school district offers a full range of academic programs and extracurricular activities. All 20 schools are wireless and connected by a high-speed wide area network. Students and staff have fulltime Internet access in classrooms, libraries and computer labs, including distance learning opportunities. Kershaw County was the first school district in South Carolina to provide individual wireless personal computing devices to all high school students through an $8 million i-CAN initiative. All teachers have personal computing devices, and all classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards. Elementary and middle school students are served through technology on mobile carts.
Facilities equalization
The Board of Trustees has made a commitment to providing inviting learning environments across the school district. In November 2016, Kershaw County voters gave approval to a $129 million bond referendum and a 15-year penny sales tax to fund 17 construction projects including three new elementary schools and a new Applied Technology Education Campus (ATEC) to be built on a common campus with Central Carolina Technical College.
Superintendent Harrison Goodwin, Ed.D.
In 2019 Dr. Goodwin was named South Carolina Superintendent of the Year. He was also honored with the following awards: 2016 Superintendent of the Year by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association, 2016 Outstanding Superintendent by the Career and Technology Administrators Association, and 2012 Honor Administrator of the Year by the South Carolina Music Educators Association.