Bamberg County schools release spring 2026 testing schedule for families

Families in Bamberg County got a full spring testing calendar that stretches from national exams in late February to college-entrance testing in March, giving parents a chance to plan around attendance, transportation and appointments before the school year closes. The district’s schedule begins with the National Assessment of Educational Progress at Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School on Feb. 24, followed by the SAT on March 18 and the ACT on March 22.

That timetable matters because these dates can ripple through daily life in a small school district. Testing often means altered class schedules, quieter mornings for buses, missed practice time for athletics and tighter windows for medical or family appointments. With the second semester ending May 28 and a professional development day set for May 29, the district’s spring calendar leaves little room for surprises as schools move into the final weeks of the year.

The South Carolina Department of Education requires district testing coordinators to post assessment dates on school websites at least one month before the testing window opens. State guidance also puts the 2025-2026 NAEP window between Jan. 26 and March 20, and says the exam uses a sampling process, so only selected students in sampled schools take it and results are not reported for individual students or schools.

For Bamberg County, the testing schedule also carries broader stakes. South Carolina offers the SAT and ACT as the state-selected college entrance exams for first-time 11th graders, and districts must send parents or guardians a letter and form explaining which option the student will take. Both exams are offered at no cost to families in school-day administrations, which makes the spring calendar especially important for high school planning.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School, the site named for the NAEP date, serves grades seven and eight and about 200 students, underscoring how even one assessment day can touch a large share of a small campus. The district’s 2025-2026 school year runs from Aug. 4, 2025, through May 28, 2026, so the spring testing schedule arrives as schools try to finish strong and keep instruction, interventions and accountability measures aligned before summer.