Executive Summary

Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) is rated as Meeting expectations in four of the five Blueprint pillars (Early Childhood Education, High Quality & Diverse Teachers and Leaders, More Resources for Students to be Successful, and Governance and Accountability) and Approaching in College and Career Readiness. The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) approved all seven 2024 plan components on Nov. 21, 2024, which released withheld FY25 Blueprint funds, and approved the 2025 Career Ladder on Oct. 23, 2025.^[1] Public Pre-K enrollment grew from 280 in 2022-23 to 335 in 2025-26, and kindergarten readiness on the KRA rose from 32.1% to 39%.^[2]

Student outcomes show both notable gains and persistent challenges. Chronic absenteeism fell from 57.1% to 37.1% between 2021-2022 and 2024-2025, and all 11 DCPS schools are now designated community schools, up from 5 in SY21-22.^[2] Grade 3 ELA proficiency climbed from 27.0% in 2021-2022 to a peak of 49.3% in 2024-2025, the largest three-year growth in the state per AIB conference feedback, before dipping to 38.4% in 2025-2026.^[2][3] Teacher vacancies fell from 22 in 2022-23 to 10 in 2025-26.^[2]

Key areas for attention include mathematics, where grades 3-8 proficiency stands at 17.7% and fifth grade at 13.0%, both below their 2024-2025 levels.^[2] The minimum teacher salary of $55,394 remains below the $60,000 required by 7/1/26, and teacher retention of 62.3% sits just under the 62.9% AIB target.^[2] Infrastructure constraints on PK3 expansion and incomplete position and budget control for school-level Blueprint coding are the principal operational barriers identified in district documents.