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Achievements and Accolades

2025-2026

  • Fort Mill, Nation Ford, and Catawba Ridge high schools named the top three high schools in York County and among the top 4% of high schools nationwide in the U.S. News rankings.
  • River Trail Elementary teacher Merri Martin was named the South Carolina PE Teacher of the Year. 
  • FMSD named in the top 100 of South Carolina based employers. 
  • High School Girls Flag Football kicked off their first season. 
  • Orchard Park Elementary was awarded $10,000 for new fitness equipment through the American Heart Association and NFL Foundation. 
  • According to Niche.com, the FMSD is 3! In South Carolina, York County, and the Charlotte Region, and ranked among the top 1% of districts nationwide (#91 out of 10,394). 
    • Niche.com also recognized the FMSD for having the best teachers in South Carolina and the best place to teach in the Charlotte area. *among traditional K-12 schools
  • Nearly 1,000 students participated in a college fair, featuring representatives from more than 70 colleges and universities. 
  • Catawba Ridge High School won the 4A State Marching Band Championship. 
  • Nation Ford High School Marching Band won the 5A State Championship, with Fort Mill High School capturing the second place title. 
  • The FMSD partnered with the Less than 3 Organization to present “Can’t Look Away,” a documentary about the risks of social media use by children. 
  • The second Parent University was held in the fall. The event is a parent education event designed to provide resources and information to help students academic success, emotional well-being, and health and safety. 
  • 2025 SC School Report Cards: 
    • All three FMSD high schools received an overall rating of excellent.
    • All 6 middle schools and 6 of our elementary schools were also rated excellent, with five elementary schools receiving a rating of good. 
    • Additionally, the Fort Mill School District had the highest ranking in the state for the progress of our Multilingual Learners and an on-time graduation rate of 95.9%, the highest on-time graduation rate among traditional high schools.
    • Fort Mill School District was the highest-ranking district in SC Ready ELA and Math. In our high schools, we had the highest or second highest average passing rate in each subject for EOC (End of Course) exams, when compared to other traditional high schools in the state.
    • Fort Mill Schools ranked first in the state for College and Career Readiness among traditional public schools.
  • The Catawba Ridge High School Marching Band performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. 
  • Catawba Ridge High, Pleasant Knoll Elementary, and Tega Cay Elementary recognized as 2025 Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Schools.
  •  Lamont Hall, Fort Mill Middle School social studies teacher and coach, is selected for the York County Sports Hall of Fame. 
  • Mehar Tulsi, a third grade student at Gold Hill Elementary School, placed third at the South Carolina level in the Kids for Conservation Art Poster Competition.
  • Fort Mill Middle School named a School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. 

2024-2025

  • Total scholarships awarded for the Class of 2025: $56 million in scholarships. 
  • FMSD surpasses the state average and out performs nearly every comparable district in SC on the SC READY test. 
  • FMSD was the only district in the state to meet the 75% proficiency benchmark in three of the four EOC assessments.
  • The district achieved the 75% proficiency goals in all areas of the Career Readiness Assessment. We were the only district in the state to achieve this mark.
  • FMSD ranked as best in the state in the Niche rankings and 149th out of 10,561 districts nationwide.
  • FMSD is named among the top 6% of places to teach in America, the best place to teach in York County and the Charlotte area. 
  • All cafeterias received a100% on their health inspections. 
  • Fort Mill High School Girls Swim Team wins state championship for the third year in a row. 
  • Nation Ford High Schools was recognized as a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School.
  • Cindy Van Buskirk is named coach of the year for the SCHSL.
  • Fort Mill leads the state, according to Niche.com, with the top 10 elementary schools, top 6 middle schools, and all 3 high schools ranked in the Top 7 statewide. 
  • Fort Mill Middle School's academic challenge team wins first place at the Olde English Consortium. 
  • Casey Czapla, an assistant principal at Springfield Elementary School, is named the South Carolina Counseling Association's Administrator of the Year.
  • Pleasant Knoll Elementary is named a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School. 

  • Pleasant Knoll Middle School student Ahaan Jain won first place in the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee. Forest Creek Middle student Ishaan Singh finished in the top ten with a fourth place tie!

  • Gold Hill Elementary students Aayansh Bhakta, Anirudh Kannan, Ashvadheer Radhakrishnan, Ashwath Kalagiri, Johann Jayabarath, Maria Jayabarath, and Samvit Reddy won the SC Scholastic Chess Championship. 

  • Gold Hill Middle School earned the Cognia STEM Certification. 

  • Mason Bucciero, an 11th grader at Nation Ford High School, was been selected for the 2025 Disney Dreamers Academy.

  • Dr. Michael Waiksnis, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability, is named the Instructional Leader of the Year. 

  • Tega Cay Elementary is named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. 

  • Grey Young is named the 2026 District Level Administrator of the Year. 

  • Catawba Ridge High School's Choral Director, Jessie Haynes, is named a quarterfinalist for the Grammy music educator award. 

  • Fort Mill High School won second place in the 5A State Championship.

  • Catawba Ridge High School Marching Band won the 4A State Championship. 

  • Nation Ford High School won the 5A State Championship.

 

2023

  • Total scholarships awarded for the Class of 2023: $44,113,832.00
  • Riverview Elementary School Literacy Specialist Mandy DeMeio was named an SC Teacher of the Year finalist.
  • Fort Mill School district ranked as best in the state in the Niche 2023 rankings.
  • Gold Hill Elementary School named a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Doby’s Bridge Elementary School named Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School.
  • Springfield Elementary was recognized by Solution Tree for its sustained success in raising student achievement.
  • Ms. Tenely Middleton was selected as SCASL's Midlands Area School Librarian of the Year.
  • Fort Mill School District was recognized as the 8th best employer in South Carolina.
  • The George Fish Historical Marker, located at 401 Steele Street, had its official ribbon cutting and dedication.
  • Athletic State Championships:
    • Fort Mill High School Girls Individual Cross Country South Carolina AAAAA State Champion
    • Fort Mill High School Girls Swim Team State 5A Champions
    • Fort Mill High School Wrestling Team State 5A Wresting Champions
    • Nation Ford High School Men’s Lacrosse State 5A Champions
    • Catawba Ridge High School Softball State 4A Champions
    • Catawba Ridge High School Baseball State 4A Champions
  • Kennedy Martin named 2022-2023 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year
  • Catawba Ridge High School State 4A Marching Band Champions & 2022 Bands of America Carolina Regional Champions
  • Catawba Ridge High School: Best Daily Show in the Nation at Student Television Network Awards
  • Fort Mill High School JROTC Unit recognized as Naval Honor School
  • Nation Ford High School JROTC Unit recognized as Naval Honor School, Marine Corps JROTC National Rifle Champions, and All Service Corps JROTC National Rifle Champions.

2022

  • Total scholarships awarded for the Class of 2022: $39,890405
  • FMHS Softball team won the Class 5A softball state championship. 
  • Dr. Adanays Aranda was selected by the United States Department of Education as a part-time fellowship ambassador.
  • Athletic directors Dwayne Hartsoe and Rick Lewis were named regional Athletic Directors of the Year in the 4A and 5A categories.
  • FMHS is recognized for being a top fundraiser in the state for the Special Olympics. 
  • CRHS student Sam Rich was named the SC Gatorade Player of the Year for the second time. 
  • Springfield Middle School teacher Laura Merk was named as an SC Teacher of the Year finalist. 
  • FMHS student Anna Dellinger (11th grade) won Best in Show in the SCEA 21-22 Read Across America Student Art Contest. Stephanie Stokes (10th) was selected for the Artist Award for creativity.
  • Springfield Middle was redesignated for the second time as a School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
     

2021

  • Total Scholarships awarded to the Class of 2021: $25,003,355
  • Nation Ford's literary magazine, Voices, was recognized as the Best in the State. 
  • Cindy Van Buskirk, FMHS swim coach, was named to the SC Swim Coaches Hall of Fame. 
  • Fort Mill High was named a 2021 College Access Champion School. 
  • Twenty-three students from the Nation Ford High FBLA qualified for the national competition. 
  • The Nation Ford High School MCJROTC rifle team won the Marine Corps JROTC National Rifle Championships. In addition to the first place win, the teams took home a number of individual awards (1st, 2nd, 2rd, 4th, 5th, 7th place) and set several national records. 
  • FMHS engineering students won a $2,000 prize at the Trane Technologies Stadium of the Future STEM challenge. 
     

2020

Student Group Achievements

  • Nation Ford High School's MCJROTC was recognized for its Rifle Team winning their 5th consecutive National Championship and the CyberPatriot Team being named South Carolina State Champions and Qualifiers for the National Championship.
2019

The Fort Mill School District was named to the 10th annual AP District Honor Roll. The AP District Honor Roll honors districts that increase AP course offerings while also maintaining or improving student performance on AP exams.

2018

The Fort Mill School District was named to the 9th annual AP District Honor Roll. The AP District Honor Roll honors districts that increase AP course offerings while also maintaining or improving student performance on AP exams.

2017

The Fort Mill School District was named to the 8th annual AP District Honor Roll. The AP District Honor Roll honors districts that increase AP course offerings while also maintaining or improving student performance on AP exams.