Education

Primary & Secondary Education

Fairfield County has 10 public schools including one early childhood school, four elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, one career center, and one learning center.

  • The learning center is an alternative program that gives students facing expulsion a second chance. It’s considered the model for programs like this around the state.
  • The career center offers vocational training and boasts nationally-certified welding and electricity programs, as well as a successful school-to-work program. The health occupations class and the graphics department routinely win awards and all departments at the school have had students place in regional and state competitions.
  • Other impressive educational institutes include the Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science and the STEM Early College Academy. The Magnet School was one of only five schools in the state to receive the Palmetto Finest School distinction in 2014, while the STEM Early College Academy is one of the most cutting-edge programs in the country. Started in 2011, it enables students to graduate with Associate degrees from Midlands Technical College by the completion of their senior year of high school.
  • The county has one private school, the Richard Winn Academy, which offers kindergarten for 3-5-year olds, a daycare center, as well as education through high school.

*Image credit: Fairfield Magnet School for Math & Science


Midlands Technical College - Fairfield Campus

The Midlands Technical College Fairfield Campus provides area residents with rapid training for high-demand jobs through MTC’s academic and career training programs. Whether you are working toward a degree, plan to transfer, or are looking for quick training options, students can find themselves in high-demand, high-paying jobs in two years or less after obtaining a degree, diploma, academic certificate, or training certificate from MTC.

MTC is the only two-year public college serving Fairfield, Richland, and Lexington counties in South Carolina. The college provides higher education opportunities that stimulate the local economy by generating a world-class workforce and enhancing the social vitality of the community. MTC enrolls approximately 25,000+ students annually, with hundreds of academic, training, and dual enrollment students from Fairfield County, making it one of the largest providers of higher education in South Carolina.

Higher Education

Numerous institutions of higher education are located just a short drive from Fairfield County. The state’s flagship university, the University of South Carolina, is located in the heart of downtown Columbia, just a 30-minute drive away. In total, there are nine colleges and universities in the Columbia area including the aforementioned USC, Midlands Technical College, Allen University, Benedict College, Columbia College, Columbia International University, Columbia Jr. College, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. Also located nearby are the Central Carolina Technical College in Sumter and Newberry College in Newberry.

*Image credit: University of South Carolina