Florence 1 celebrates IB Diploma Graduates

 International Baccalaureate Diploma students were recently recognized during a Florence 1 Schools Board of Trustees meeting. The fifty students recognized were the second largest group of IB Diploma graduates in the history of the program in Florence 1. The program is growing even more with 61 Diploma Program students beginning the program in the 11th grade for the 2023-2024 school year.

The IB Program at Wilson is in its 27th year; the MYP Program at Wilson and Williams Middle School is in its 21st year. The original IB program started at Wilson in 1996 making it the 2nd oldest program in the state. With more than 500 students between Wilson and Williams, approximately 100 students per grade in seventh through twelfth, it is also the largest in the state.

“Our IB Program has been hugely successful,” said IB Coordinator Brian Howell. “Our graduates are accepted into dozens of colleges and universities every year and ninety-five percent of them are accepted to their first choice school. Students taking Diploma Program courses also earn college credit that they can use toward their degree no matter what school they end up attending after graduation.” 

The 2023 Graduates are attending the following schools:

• USC

• Maine Maritime Academy

• College of Charleston

• Anderson University

• Georgia Tech

• FMU

• College of William and Mary

• Furman

• Clemson

• Georgia Tech

• Clemson

• Winthrop

• Duke

“On average, we have a 90 percent pass rate on IB Diploma Program subjects,” Howell said. “I think one of the reasons that the pass rate is so high is the engaging instructors that we have. All IB teachers attend IB workshops to be trained in their subjects and they are heavily invested in helping our students master these subjects and prepare for their next steps.”

Howell said that a hallmark of the IB program is that no matter their location, all IB students are working on the same syllabus, receiving a World Class, International education in classrooms across the US and the world. The Florence 1 program itself is very diverse with over 15 different nationalities represented. Students in IB also become knowledgeable about the world, learning about many different countries and cultures. This past summer, IB students visited Ireland and plans are already in the works for England, France, Germany, and Switzerland for Summer 2024.