The short answer
South Carolina uses a statewide scale of A = 90–100, B = 80–89, C = 70–79, D = 60–69, F = below 60 — a 10-point scale with no plus or minus grades. It applies to high school credit courses (grades 9-12), since 2016-17.
Verify with your district: the official site blocked direct access during our research, so these values come from search-engine snippets of the cited official page plus a district copy.
The official South Carolina grading scale
| Letter | Percent range | Points wide | GPA points |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | 11 | not set per letter in our source |
| B | 80–89 | 10 | not set per letter in our source |
| C | 70–79 | 10 | not set per letter in our source |
| D | 60–69 | 10 | not set per letter in our source |
| F | below 60 | — | not set per letter in our source |
Applies to: high school credit courses (grades 9-12), since 2016-17.
South Carolina’s State Board of Education adopted the 10-point Uniform Grading Policy on April 12, 2016, effective in 2016–17 for high school credit courses. Unlike most states here, South Carolina converts the numeric grade (not the letter) into quality points using a state conversion chart that differs for college-prep, honors and AP/IB courses. That’s why this page shows no single point value per letter — two students with a B can earn different quality points.
Same score, different letter: South Carolina vs. the plus/minus scale
Many teachers, websites and calculators assume the plus/minus scale (A 93+, A− 90–92, B+ 87–89 …). Here is how sample scores land on South Carolina's scale instead:
| Score | South Carolina letter | Plus/minus letter |
|---|---|---|
| 97% | A | A+ |
| 93% | A | A |
| 91% | A | A− |
| 89% | B | B+ |
| 86% | B | B |
| 84% | B | B |
| 80% | B | B− |
| 78% | C | C+ |
| 75% | C | C |
| 72% | C | C− |
| 70% | C | C− |
| 68% | D | D+ |
| 65% | D | D |
| 61% | D | D− |
| 59% | F | F |
The base letter matches the plus/minus scale for all 15 sample scores, because both use the same 90/80/70/60 cut-offs. What South Carolina's scale removes is the plus and minus: a 91 is a plain A here but an A− (3.7 points) on the plus/minus scale, and an 80 and an 89 are both a B instead of a B− (2.7) and a B+ (3.3). Where a school maps whole letters to whole points, scores of 90–92 gain 0.3 points and scores of 87–89 lose 0.3 compared with plus/minus grading.
What the state's documents say
Uniform Grading Policy: State Board adopted a 10-point scale on April 12, 2016, effective 2016-17. Quality points come from the SC conversion chart (numeric grade -> points, weighted by CP/Honors/AP-IB), so per-letter points are left null. Letter bands are the standard 10-point bands (search snippet confirmed 60 = D, 59 and below = F). ed.sc.gov refused connections during research; confirmed via search-indexed content plus a district copy of the SBE presentation (https://spart5.schoolboard.net/sites/sc.spart5.schoolboard.net/files/Uniform%20Grading%20Policy%20SBE%2012%20April%202016_D5Board.pdf).
Source: ed.sc.gov. Verification: taken from search-engine-indexed text of the cited page because the official site blocked direct access — verify with your district.
Turning a South Carolina letter into GPA points
Our source does not give a point value for each letter on this scale, because points come from the numeric grade. Many schools use A 4, B 3, C 2, D 1, F 0 for a 10-point scale, but check your transcript or student handbook before calculating, especially for weighted courses.
Enter your grades in the high school GPA calculator (type the letter, not the percent, so the state scale is respected), compare scales in the grading scale converter, or see what a GPA means on the GPA scale. State facts beyond grading are on the South Carolina school facts page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the grading scale in South Carolina?
Does South Carolina use plus and minus grades?
Who does the South Carolina grading scale apply to?
Sources & method
- South Carolina scale: https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/news-releases/10-point-uniform-grading-scale-approved-by-state-board-of-education (search-indexed copy).
- Plus/minus comparison: the common US scale (A 93+, A− 90–92, B+ 87–89 …) used across this site. Sample-score letters are computed from the published ranges.
Checked October 2026. Grading rules change — if your district's handbook differs, the handbook wins. Spotted an error? Tell us via the about page.