Dutch Fork High School Case Study

Nestled in the suburbs of Irmo, SC, Dutch Fork residents are not far from beautiful Lake Murray. Because of its lakefront locality and closeness to the state capital of Columbia, the Dutch Fork community has experienced much growth over the last several years and has become more diverse. One of four high schools in District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, Dutch Fork High School (DFHS) serves students in grades 9-12 with a growing population of 1830. The student body consists of 57% white, 34% African American, and 9% other. Approximately 28% of students receive free or reduced-price lunches, and 8% are classified as special education students. Another 2% of the student population is classified as ELL or limited-English proficiency students. Dutch Fork High School has a long-standing reputation of excellence. Consistently ranked each year among the state and nation’s best and most challenging high schools by Newsweek, The Washington Post, and US News and World Report, DFHS boasts one of South Carolina’s most successful Advanced Placement programs with 40% of the total student population taking at

Although it continued to be a high performing school, the school’s culture was undoubtedly changing and was evidenced by the 6,887 discipline referrals that school year. Additionally, racial, gender, and socioeconomic disparities began to emerge in the data. Of all minority students in the school, 22% had received at least one day of suspension, and minority students accounted for almost 60% of all students who had been suspended. Of all students who received free or reduced lunch, 23% had been suspended at least once. And male students accounted for more than 70% of all students who had been suspended. Of the 275 students who were suspended in 2009-2010, 196 of those were