Horry County grads set record with scholarship offers

The 2017 Horry County Schools graduating class had a record year.

The class of 2,531 graduates was the largest in district history, and the members collectively earned a record $87.5 million in scholarship offers according to statistics provided by the school district.

The previous record of $67.6 million was set in 2015.

Thirteen percent of the graduates earned an honors diploma, up from 10 percent in 2016.

Of all graduates, 76 percent planned to go to college, which is down from 78 percent in 2016. Forty-two percent planned on attending a four-year school and 32 percent planned to attend a two-year school.

Of the college-bound graduates, 85 percent planned to go to a school in South Carolina.

Of the 1,932 graduates planning on going to a post-secondary school, 77 percent qualified for awards supported by the South Carolina Education Lottery, an increase of 5 percent from 2016.

Five percent planned to go into the armed forces and 10 percent planned to start working immediately, according to the district statistics.

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Horry County grads set record with scholarship offers."