Florence 1 Adult Education Receives Awards from SCDE

Florence 1 Schools Adult Education recently received several awards from the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), highlighting several of the program’s achievements from the last year, including program growth and student success. 

Earlier this month during the SCDE Office of Adult Education annual meeting, Florence 1 Adult Education was announced as a ‘Celebrating Our Success’ Award Winner. One of the three awards they received was the Enrollment Growth Award. From the 2022-2023 school year to the 2023-2024 school year, Florence 1 Adult Education saw an increase in enrollment from 622 students to 839 students. 

Florence 1 Adult Education also received an award for the ‘Highest Number of High School Diploma Completers.’ Director Dr. Lisa Justice said that across the state, over 900 adult students earned their high school diploma last school year. 132 of those students were in Florence 1’s program.  

“The support that we receive from Dr. O’Malley and Florence 1 has allowed us to be very successful with our high school diploma students,” Justice said. “We have more than just young adult students in our program; we also have a considerable number of older adults who come back to get their high school diploma because it is something they have always wanted to do.”

The third award Florence 1 Adult Education received was the Integrated Education and Training (IET) Award, which is given to programs in which students “made measurable skills gains while participating in the IET program.”

Justice said that many students come to Florence 1’s Adult Education program through word of mouth because someone they know found success there.

“We tend to be the place where people find a good fit no matter their backstory or history,” Justice said. “They can come here and find success. We can be a bridge, we can be a jumpstart. A lot of our students find a home here and they didn’t find that in school, wherever or whenever that was. We have a very supportive staff and we give everyone an equal opportunity for success.”

Justice said that along with offering GED and high school diploma courses, Florence 1 Adult Education also offers English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, workplace literacy courses, and integrated education and training classes. Students can enroll all year long for courses by calling 843-664-8152. Online registration, and additional information about Florence 1 Adult Education, can be found at f1adulted.f1s.org. Community education courses such as sign language, conversational Spanish and Intro to Computers will begin enrolling in the Spring 2025.