At the latest Lexington County School District Four board meeting, the board honored two long-serving members and reviewed updates on local schools' progress and future improvement plans.

Board members Daniel Martin and Chris Pound were recognized for their years of dedicated service to the district. Pound has served for 24 years, and Martin has served for 14 years.

The meeting included a report from Sandhills Primary School, presented by Holly Miller, who shared the school’s progress.

Sandhills Primary, which serves students in first and second grades, shared assessment results. Students are assessed three times a year with the i-Ready assessment, which evaluates students in English language arts and mathematics.

For the English language arts portion, 42% of first graders at Sandhills demonstrated readiness for second grade, compared to 53.9% statewide. In mathematics, 33.6% of students at Sandhills demonstrated readiness for second grade.

Among second graders, 52.8% of students at Sandhills showed they were ready for third grade, slightly higher than the state average of 51.1%. In the math portion, 35.9% of second graders at Sandhills demonstrated readiness for third grade, while the state average was 50.3%.

The school also discussed its approach to report cards, explaining that, instead of traditional letter grades, students are assigned academic goals for the year.

The report cards include i-Ready scores from fall, winter and spring assessments, allowing parents or guardians to track their child’s progress. To assist parents in understanding the report cards, the school provides informational flyers in English and Spanish. Additionally, parents can contact teachers with questions or concerns.

For the 2024 state report card, one school in Lexington Four received an “average” rating, two were ranked “below average”, and one was ranked “unsatisfactory.”

Despite these ratings, the district has made progress in other areas. The graduation rate increased to 80.3% in 2024, up from 77.6% in 2021. The district also earned a 78.4% rating for college and career readiness.

Due to lower report card rankings, the district must develop improvement plans for schools ranked “below average” or “unsatisfactory.”

The plans will outline specific goals and strategies to improve school performance.

Once reviewed and approved by the school board, the plans will be submitted to the South Carolina Department of Education for final approval.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lexington Four District Office, 607 E. 5th St. in Swansea.