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Mister Abel: Richland 1 reported 115 high-school dropouts in 2024–25; committee reviews interventions
Summary
Mister Abel reported the district had 115 high-school dropouts in the 2024–25 school year (125 total district dropouts) and outlined demographic patterns and interventions including mentoring, middle-to-high transitions, summer programs and requested principal training from the state dropout coordinator.
Mister Abel presented the dropout-prevention update for Richland 1 on May 19, reporting that the district recorded 115 high‑school dropouts for the 2024–25 school year and 125 total dropouts across all grades. "For 2425 school year, Richland 1 reported 115 high school dropouts," Mister Abel said, adding the district dropout rate was 1.9%, below the state's 2.0%.
He provided demographic detail for high‑school dropouts (57% male; 79.1% Black; 10.4% Hispanic; 4.3% White; 6.2% other races), said 63% of those students qualified for free or reduced-price meals, and noted 13.5% were classified as special education. Mister Abel gave a school-level breakdown: Columbia High (30 dropouts), AC Flora (26), C.A. Johnson (17), Keenan (22), Lower Richland (11), with Eau Claire and Middle College reporting zero in the stated year. He characterized Lower Richland’s lower count this year as a positive shift compared with historical highs.
To frame long-term consequences, Mister Abel read data from the National Dropout Prevention Center and state corrections data: as of June 30, 2025, the South Carolina Department of Corrections had 16,918 inmates statewide and 10,943 of them lacked a high‑school diploma or GED, with an average intake grade level of 10.6. He said the district treats dropout prevention as a system-wide focus, with each school having a dropout prevention team, nine districtwide meetings per year for those teams, and an annually updated policies-and-procedures manual.
Commissioners asked for additional context. One asked what proportion of the district’s overall student population are Black males (to contextualize the 43% share of dropouts attributed to Black males); Mister Abel said he would provide that population percentage. Dr. Hassinger raised a legislative concern, noting a recent bill referenced in the meeting as "HB 50 73" and warning it would ban grade floors and could restrict eligibility for credit recovery, requiring students to finish prior assignments before content recovery and complicating local recovery practices.
Mister Abel and staff outlined proactive interventions: asking middle schools to provide lists of at‑risk students to high schools so mentors and teachers can engage them in the first weeks; expanded start-strong and summer programs; mentoring cohorts that pair students across grades; and some schools implementing scheduled makeup-work periods to reduce end-of-year surprises. Committee members suggested surveying 11th and 12th graders and using successful upperclassmen as mentors for younger students.
Next steps included arranging a detailed principal training session in July with the state dropout coordinator (Avian Coleman) to review reporting rules and interventions; staff agreed to return with requested population breakdowns and additional program details. No formal vote occurred.
