Allendale County Schools shifts to summer office hours through August 3

Allendale County Schools is running its district offices on summer hours, with service available Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and no office hours on Fridays. Regular hours are set to resume on August 3, 2026.

The change matters most for families who still need the district office during the break, especially parents looking for enrollment help, records, program details, transportation information or other administrative answers. In rural Allendale County, where a missed trip can mean driving all the way to Fairfax for nothing, the Friday closure is the key detail to remember before heading to 3249 Allendale-Fairfax Hwy.

Allendale County Schools approved its 2026-2027 district calendar on April 27, and the dates line up with the district’s summer schedule. Staff development begins July 30, 2026, followed by August 3-5 for staff development and teacher workdays. Students are scheduled to return for the first day of school on August 6, 2026.

The district says it serves more than 900 students in rural Allendale County, South Carolina, in the Lowcountry region bordering Georgia. Its mission is to prepare every student with a world-class holistic education so they graduate college, career and life ready, a goal that depends on families being able to reach staff when they need help. Summer office hours keep weekday access open while the district moves into a lighter seasonal rhythm.

Those seasonal services have also included free summer meals for children under 18 through a partnership with Optimum Foods. The district said the meals, which included breakfast and lunch in multi-day packs, were delivered weekly to locations in Fairfax and Allendale and were available through July 12.

The summer schedule also comes against a longer backdrop of pressure and recovery for the district. The South Carolina Department of Education has taken control of Allendale County Schools twice since 1999, and a state of emergency was declared in June 2017. By 2019, district leaders were pointing to improved report-card results and saying none of the district’s schools were rated unsatisfactory, part of a broader effort to show stability and keep communication with the community clear.