Corley Elementary named Lighthouse honor roll school

H.E. Corley Elementary Leadership Magnet & Montessori Magnet School in Irmo has earned recognition as a 2026 Leader in Me Lighthouse Academic Honor Roll school.

FranklinCovey’s Leader in Me whole-school transformative model process is utilized at H.E. Corley Elementary. It teaches 21st-century leadership and life skills to students and creates a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader, according to a news release from School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties.

The Lighthouse Academic Honor Roll recognizes Leader in Me schools that have both met the rigorous requirements necessary to achieve and maintain Lighthouse School certification and shown exemplary academic growth or proficiency as measured by state accountability standards.

The percentile ranking for H.E. Corley Elementary rose in 2026 to 71%, up from 61% in 2025, an improvement of 10 percentage points.

The Lighthouse Academic Honor Roll is determined through the data analysis of an independent nonprofit — Schooldigger.com, a website focused on empowering families with reliable data about the performance of their children’s school. The Schooldigger.com algorithm scores on a percentile ranking, comparing like schools across the state.

To meet the academic proficiency standard, a school must be at or above the 85th percentile for the state’s combined proficiency standards. To meet the academic growth standard, the school must be at or above the 50th percentile and have shown a 5 percent growth from the previous year’s percentile ranking.       

“At H.E. Corley, we often say that great happens here, and this recognition is another reflection of that,” Corley Elementary School Principal Melanie Harris said. “Being named a Leader in Me Academic Honor Roll School for the second consecutive year speaks to the hard work, dedication and heart our teachers and staff pour into our students every single day. We are especially proud of the academic growth our students continue to demonstrate. This recognition reminds us that when we lead with purpose, set high expectations and build strong relationships, great things happen for kids. We have so much to celebrate, but we are just getting started!”