W. Burke Royster
Dr. W. Burke Royster became the 10th Superintendent of Greenville County Schools, the 42nd largest district in the nation, in 2012. His tenure as Superintendent has been marked by significant advances in student achievement, with a particular focus on improving the District鈥檚 graduation rate and ensuring that students are college- and career-ready. In a nod to the progress achieved under his direction, Dr. Royster has been named an Education Week 鈥淟eader to Learn From,鈥� has been named to Greenville Business Magazine鈥檚 鈥�50 Most Influential鈥� Hall of Fame, and was selected as the South Carolina Association of School Administrators鈥� 2018 Superintendent of the Year. He serves on the Governing Board of 91制片, The School Superintendents鈥� Association, and is an active member of the Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium, having served as its chair.
The signature initiative of Dr. Royster鈥檚 tenure is Graduation Plus, the key ingredient in the District鈥檚 focus on 鈥淏uilding a Better Graduate.鈥� Graduation Plus works to increase student achievement and engagement by providing meaningful opportunities for every student to graduate with not only a high school diploma, but also college credit and/or industry certification.
As a direct result of his direction and expectations, the Greenville County Schools鈥� overall graduation rate has risen 12 points since 2012. Over the same period, the District鈥檚 focus on improving outcomes for traditionally lower-performing student subgroups has resulted in graduation rate increases of 16 points for African-American students, 12 points for Hispanic/Latino students, 26 points for students with disabilities, and 17 points for English-language learners.
