The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education presented the 2024 College Application Month “School of Excellence,” award to Spring Hill High School in a ceremony today, recognizing their outstanding performance during last year's College Applicaiton Month campaign.  

Spring Hill was also one of 26 schools being recognized nationwide for their efforts by ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC). 

"The school of excellence award honors one high school in South Carolina that has demonstrated a commitment to student success, also submitted data in a timely fashion, and serves as a role model for other schools in the state," said Kathy Rollins, CHE's College Access Manager, during the award presentation.

"I am so proud of our amazing school counseling department for being recognized nationally for the work they do each and every day for our students. As an all-choice, all-magnet, public high school with no admissions criteria, our counselors are instrumental in guiding our students through four years of high school and helping them prepare for college, military or the workforce," said Dr. Michael Lofton, principal of Spring Hill High School. "Our school counseling department is dedicated to ensuring that our students have the knowledge and tools necessary to apply to college. This has led to 89 percent of all of our graduates attending a two- or four-year college program."

The ACAC is an effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential - this is the sixth year of partnership between the CHE and ACAC to recognize schools for their College Application Month efforts.

Increasing opportunities for students of all backgrounds to access higher education ultimately contributes to the state’s growing economy by providing more skilled and trained workers to meet the increasingly technical demands of the modern workforce. According to the South Carolina Coordinating Council on Workforce Development's Unified State Plan, out of 241 priority occupations in the state, 168 require postsecondary education and 62 (37 percent) require a bachelor's degree or higher. By 2027, 70 percent of all jobs are expected to require some education beyond high school.

College Application Month was first held in South Carolina in 2009 and has become a vital component of state efforts to encourage college attendance. Nationally, the campaign has served nearly 5.17 million students who have submitted more than 10 million applications since 2005. This is the sixth year that ACAC has recognized outstanding schools.

Related content:

• To learn more about College Application Month visit https://che.sc.gov/sccango.