By Shellie Murdaugh
The Island News
Working together toward a common goal has helped the Jasper County School District begin to see progress following the release of this year’s school report cards, according to the district’s leader.
“I think everyone pulling together helped make a difference in the improvements,” Jasper County School District Interim Superintendent Laura Hickson said. “It did not take me long to realize that brilliance already existed here and just putting systems in place and pulling everyone together so that we are all working toward one mission is important.”
Hickson became head of the district last year in August when she was appointed by the state to serve in that position. Hickson was named to the position after the South Carolina Board of Education voted to allow the S.C. Department of Education to assume full management of the Jasper County School District.
The South Carolina Department of Education released its 2025-2026 South Carolina School Report Cards Oct. 12. The report card ratings allow families, educators and communities with information concerning school performance, student achievement, and progress toward preparing all students for success.
“This year’s School Report Card results are encouraging and remind us that progress is possible when we remain intentional about teaching, learning, leadership, and accountability,” Hickson said. “Our focus on learner-centered instruction, data-driven decision-making, strong instructional leadership, and collaborative professional learning is designed to strengthen classroom practices and improve student outcomes.”
Over the past year, the report card ratings have either seen some improvement or remained the same from last year and none of the district’s schools received an unsatisfactory rating. The on-time graduation rate improved from 67 percent last year to 82.8 percent this year. The district’s college and career readiness rate improved from 59 percent to 70.4 percent this year.
This year, the school district has three average-rated schools and three below-average schools. The three average-rated schools are Ridgeland Elementary School, Hardeeville Middle School and Hardeeville High School.
The schools rated as below average include Ridgeland Middle School, Ridgeland High School and Hardeeville Elementary School. Ridgeland High School moved up from an unsatisfactory rating to a below average rating and Ridgeland Middle School was less than a point away from moving up to an average rating.
Hickson said while progress is celebrated, the focus remains on teaching, learning, leadership and accountability.
“Our goal is not simply to move schools out of the Unsatisfactory category or increase the number of schools rated Average,” Hickson said. “Our goal is for every school in Jasper County to achieve and sustain a Good or Excellent rating for three consecutive years.”
Hickson said when the district began to concentrate on safety, quality education and transparency, its three priorities, the lead priority of the three became quality education.
“We made quality education our true focus because our kids are why we exist,” she said. “Our mission right now is to ensure we are getting high levels of growth in learning.”
Hickson said intervention programs are actively underway in the district as well as an after-school program.
“The main piece is interventions,” she said. “We are looking at individual assessments so that we can focus on those skills that are needed.”
Hickson also encouraged parents, families and community members to review the 2026 School Report Cards in their entirety. The district’s report cards and all other districts can be found at: https://screportcards.com.
Shellie Murdaugh, who joined The Island News in October 2026, formerly worked as a reporter for The Jasper County Sun Times and Bluffton Today. She also worked for newspapers in Hampton and Colleton counties in South Carolina and in North Carolina at The Richmond County Daily Journal. She can be reached at shelliemurdaugh@gmail.com.