CCSD boosts college and career readiness in South Carolina

The future of South Carolina’s business leaders of tomorrow looks brighter than it’s ever been. At least that’s the humble opinion of Charleston County School District Superintendent Anita Huggins.

Huggins spoke at a May meeting of the Charleston Metro Chamber in downtown Charleston. She shared insights on CCSD’s continued progress and the vision guiding its next chapter. From student readiness to innovation across schools, the conversation explored how the district is evolving to meet the needs of a growing community and prepare students for what comes next.

During Huggins’ short time in the superintendency, since January 2024, she has made bold decisions that have fortified schools and led to student achievement, unprecedented teacher retention (90%) and compensation, and all-time highs in graduation rate (90.6%) and college and career readiness (84.8%). Charleston County outperforms the state in the percentage of schools rated “Good” or “Excellent” (62%) compared to 49% statewide and equity gains are becoming evident across poverty levels, according to the South Carolina Department of Education.

“Our progress is real, and it’s widespread, but it’s not yet universal,” Huggins said. “We are committed to ensuring that every child in every Charleston County school has access to the high-quality teaching and learning they deserve.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, CCSD has boasted the largest state test improvement among the Council of the Great City Schools, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard from researchers at Harvard University and Stanford University. CCSD high schools overall continue to outperform the state in college and career readiness, with record participation and success in dual credit, advanced placement and industry certification programs.

Since 2020, CCSD’s college/career readiness has drastically improved from 69.1% to 84.8%. This progress is due to the district increasing career and technical education enrollment by more than 50% in recent years, with thousands of students participating in advanced coursework in engineering, information technology, health sciences, media, construction, welding and mechatronics. CCSD also has expanded internship opportunities, allowing students to earn work-based learning credit while gaining professional experience in real-world settings.

“Our students and educators continue to show what steady, focused effort can achieve,” Huggins continued. “… We are encouraged, but we’re not done. Our commitment is to keep pushing forward until all schools in Charleston County reach the highest levels of performance.”

Huggins noted that 9th grade is “too late” for students to be preparing for college or the workforce. The district’s end goal is to bridge the 15.2% of students that are neither college nor career ready and have no educational or workforce plans beyond high school.

“We can only be as good as the weakest student that leaves our system,” Huggins added. “When we realize that as a community, we become better.”

Budget priorities for 2026-27 include universal pre-K, special education expansion, employee daycare and teacher compensation. CCSD leads the nation among non-unionized states with a starting teacher salary of $67,000.