Pickens High School, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is committed to fostering an environment of excellence that relies on the combined efforts of all stakeholders to provide a quality education for our students. Pickens High continuously focuses on improving student achievement and Tier 1 instruction in order to help its students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.

Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by focusing on the four Cs – critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.  During the 2021-2022 school year, our campus experienced the ebbs and flows of COVID-19 as we started the school year under strict spacing guidelines and concluded the year with a very familiar Class Day experience for our student body and community.

Communicating with our Blue Flame Family is an important part of helping our families be engaged with what is happening on our campus and in the lives of their PHS students. Pickens High has an extensive social media presence and is excited to take this to another level in 2022-2023 as we implement advertising and marketing where students will create and disseminate communication campaigns on campus. While providing students an education in a safe environment, Pickens High School remains focused on keeping our stakeholders informed about what is happening on campus.

At PHS, we are committed to helping all of our students feel that the PHS campus is a place where they belong. From athletic events, the Band in the stands, or being in the student section supporting their classmates, our students can find places to be involved and belong throughout our campus. Through our Flame Friday Club Days, students have the choice to select one of over 50 clubs to be a part of during the school day on Fridays. Clubs range in interest from anime, Andy Griffith Show watchers, dominos, crocheting, and Disney sing-alongs just to name a few. These meeting opportunities help to foster a place to belong on our campus and give students of common interests an opportunity to meet one another and build relationships. 

To help foster critical thinking and collaboration within the classroom, teachers engage in looking at data within their Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  Teachers met once a month after school to collaborate on what the essential goals for their subject area were and how they would achieve these goals.  The primary purpose of the PLC was to analyze data, develop school goals, and formulate an action plan for increasing student readiness for the next level of achievement.  In addition to the PLC meetings, teachers were offered extensive professional development to enhance instructional strategies within their classrooms.   

Pickens High School plans to continue to work on critical thinking and collaboration skills in the coming school year.  The small gains from the previous year solidify the work that has begun at PHS and will only strengthen and increase student readiness in the years to come.  In addition, PHS will focus their professional learning on collaboration in order to develop and strengthen instructional strategies to help increase test scores on standardized tests such as the end-of-course tests, ACT, SAT, and Workkeys.

Pickens High School values academics as we prepare our students for life beyond PHS. Teachers at Pickens High School continue to increase the academic rigor in their respective courses. Wanting to prepare students to be college and/or career ready when they graduate, PHS encourages students to participate in the many rigorous and exploratory courses offered. 

150 Blue Flame Drive is the HOME of the Blue Flame. Through the continued commitment of our teachers, staff, and administration, the pursuit of excellence through the many opportunities provided in and out of the classroom, PHS provides an education that will truly prepare students for life and work in the 21st Century. Through plays, concerts, pageants, athletic events, ball games, and other competitions, the Pickens community as a whole can enjoy Pickens High School - Where Excellence is Expected!