Failing students triple in SC's largest school district
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — The number of failing students has tripled in South Carolina's largest school district over the past year, The Greenville News reports.
Greenville County Schools Superintendent Burke Royster told board members Tuesday that 16,047 of the district's 75,000 students had at least one failing grade on their first-quarter report cards this year. That's compared to about 5,300 students with at least one F this time last year.
Out of the students with at least one failing grade, 7,481 attend all classes virtually and 8,566 attend in-person classes part-time. The district currently operates on a hybrid schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic.
School administrators said that although they predicted more students would struggle this year, the results are worse than expected so far. Officials added that factors contributing to the jump in failing grades include the emergency shutdown of schools in the spring and the stresses of the pandemic, according to The Greenville News.