Who likes science and math? Apparently students in Beaufort County public schools do

Two more Beaufort County public schools have earned prestigious certifications in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics instruction, bringing the district’s total to six STEM-recognized school.

Okatie Elementary School and River Ridge Academy are the newest schools to earn STEM Certification from AdvancED, a nonprofit organization that provides on-site external reviews of Pre-K-12 schools and school systems.

Beaufort Elementary, Michael C. Riley Elementary and Pritchardville Elementary schools and Lady’s Island Middle School earned the certification in 2015.

“This latest news means that the district’s perfect record is intact,” Superintendent Jeff Moss said in a news release late Tuesday. “All six schools that have sought STEM certification have achieved it, and that’s a powerful affirmation of the quality of their instruction and the dedication of their staffs.”

In South Carolina, six of the the state’s 17 STEM-certified schools are in Beaufort County, according to AdvancED’s state director, Darrell Barringer. That’s twice the number of schools in any other district.

AdvancED requires applying schools to meet its STEM Certification standards as reflected by their performance across 11 indicators. High evaluation scores mean students in those schools are equipped and trained to be innovative, creative and systematic problem-solvers across disciplines, according to AdvancED.

This story was originally published September 21, 2016 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Who likes science and math? Apparently students in Beaufort County public schools do."