High school score climbs 16 points, the largest gain among 10 area high schools; middle school posts the biggest improvement among area middle schools
Midlands STEM Charter School’s (MSCS) report card scores improved at every level (Elementary, Middle, and High) in the 2025-2026 school year, with its high school earning the highest gains.
MSCS’s high school earned an overall rating of “Good” on the 2025-26 South Carolina School Report Card, up from “Below Average” a year earlier. Its overall score rose from 47 to 63, a 16-point gain and the largest year-over-year improvement of any high school in the surrounding area. The school’s middle and elementary programs also improved their scores this year.
Gains at every level
All three Midlands STEM programs raised their overall scores from 2024-25 to 2025-26:
| Program | 2024-25 rating (score) | 2025-26 rating (score) | Change |
| High school | Below Average (47) | Good (63) | +16 points |
| Middle school | Average (37) | Average (43) | +6 points |
| Elementary | Below Average (39) | Below Average (41) | +2 points |
The high school’s jump moved it up two rating levels in a single year. The middle school’s 6-point gain brought it closer to the “Good” range, and the elementary program continued to build on last year’s results.
How Midlands STEM compares with area schools
Midlands STEM’s 16-point gain was the largest of any high school in the surrounding area, and more than twice the improvement posted by most of its neighbors. With a score of 63, the school now ranks third among 10 area high schools, trailing only Blythewood and Lugoff and finishing ahead of established programs such as Fairfield Central, Camden, Ridge View and Spring Valley.
The momentum extends to the middle grades. Midlands STEM’s middle school posted the largest gain among area middle schools, rising 6 points in a year when two of its three neighboring middle schools saw their scores decline
Compared to Fairfield County schools exclusively, Midlands STEM also demonstrated the highest rate of score improvement in all three grade bands: elementary, middle, and high school. The school also received recognition from its authorizer, the Charter Institute at Erskine, for its success.
“Being a Maverick means never being satisfied and always wanting to improve,” said Kevin Thomas, Board Chairman of Midlands STEM Charter School. “I’m incredibly proud of our team’s efforts to bring our schools to this point. Our staff is poised to move the needle for an even better report card next year!”
Full 2025-26 report card results are available at https://www.screportcards.com/.
About Midlands STEM Charter School
Midlands STEM Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school serving students in grades K-12 in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Midlands STEM Charter School is authorized by the Charter Institute at Erskine. Midlands STEM is enrolling now – learn more at https://www.midlandsstem.org/.
