At a recent Lexington County School District Four board meeting, Swansea High School administrators gave board members an update on the school's academic growth and initiatives in place to support their students.

Marcia Seawright, principal of Swansea High, discussed the improvements in the school's graduation rate and college and career readiness.

According to data presented by Seawright, the current class of 2025 has 211 students. Out of those 211, 108 of the students are passing all of their classes and are considered to be on track to graduate. She further stated that attendance and behavior are not concerns with these students.

Fourteen of the 211 students earned their credits and were able to graduate early.

Fifty-four of the 211 students in the class of 2025 are not on track to graduate currently. However, administrators and teachers at Swansea High are working diligently to help students ensure they will graduate on May 30, she said.

Swansea High has seen an increase in its graduation rate. The graduation rate reported for the 2023-24 school year was 80.3%, an increase from the 2022-23 school year graduation rate, which was 70.3%. With data extracted and administrators hopeful that all  students graduate in May, the graduation rate for the 2024-25 school year will be 86.25%.

During the 2023-24 school year, the graduation rate for the state of South Carolina was 85.4%. 

Swansea High is focused on getting its students career and college-ready, school leaders say. During the 2023-24 school year, Swansea High received an excellent rating (14.89/19 points) for career and college readiness. 

S.C. report card documents show that 78.4% of Swansea students were college or career-ready, 20.2% of students were college and career-ready and 77.9% of students were career-ready during the 2023-24 school year.

Swansea High has career and technical education (CTE) programs that provide hands-on experiences for students. A few of these programs include welding, auto-tech and electricity. Work-based learning opportunities are also offered to students, giving them the chance to meet different employers and get experience. 

Students can participate in dual enrollment and administrators met with Midlands Technical College to design a pathway to support Swansea High students and give them a head start into the college world. 

The school utilizes the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) by providing layers of support to each student and providing interventions based on their specific needs. They focus on early warning indicators in students and when necessary, they conduct check-ins and provide advisors for additional support.

The school additionally provides events such as college application day, Focus On Your Future Fridays, college fairs, annual career fairs and more. 

On Monday, April 28, a general fund budget workshop will take place at 6 p.m. at the Lexington Four district office at 607 E 5th St. in Swansea.

The next regular board meeting will be on Monday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lexington Four district office.