South Carolina K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 105 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 105 K-12 LEAs in South Carolina, of which 82 have active domains (78.1% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). South Carolina K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 63.1/100, with 50.0% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 13.4% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 65.9% have any DMARC record, and just 48.8% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 34.1% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 82 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: South Carolina, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. South Carolina K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state105
Regular school districts83
Charter LEAs3
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)19
LEAs with active internet domain82 (78.1%)
Domains DNS-profiled82
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. South Carolina K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 1,277 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — South Carolina
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 34.1%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 13.4%)
Students486,537165,90965,195
Parents and guardians973,074331,818130,391
Staff and educators65,12722,2088,727
Total people1,524,738519,935204,314

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — South Carolina K-12
ProtocolSouth CarolinaNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)89.0%79.7%+9.3pp
DKIM (key published)68.3%59.6%+8.7pp
DMARC (any policy)65.9%55.5%+10.4pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)48.8%~21.0%+27.8pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)13.4%~12.2%+1.2pp
No MX records (not receiving email)3.7%~10.0%-6.3pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — South Carolina K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–1001923.2%Full enforcement
B70–892226.8%Strong posture
C50–691720.7%Partial protection
D30–491315.9%Weak configuration
F0–291113.4%Minimal/no authentication
Average score63.1 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — South Carolina K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Microsoft 3653239.0%
Google Workspace3137.8%
Proofpoint44.9%
Barracuda44.9%
Sophos22.4%
Fortinet11.2%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 South Carolina K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Florence 01 f1s.org Florence County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Laurens 56 lcsd56.org Laurens County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Oconee 01 oconee.k12.sc.us Oconee County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Spartanburg 01 spart1.org Spartanburg County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Spartanburg 05 spart5.net Spartanburg County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Spartanburg 06 spart6.org Spartanburg County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Clarendon 06 clarendoncsd.org Clarendon County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Anderson 03 acsd3.org Anderson County Proofpoint ✓ ✓ reject 98 A
Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities scgsah.org Greenville County Proofpoint ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Dept Of Correction N04 doc.sc.gov York County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Aiken 01 acpsd.net Aiken County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Anderson 05 anderson5.net Anderson County Barracuda ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Greenville 01 greenville.k12.sc.us Greenville County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Newberry 01 newberry.k12.sc.us Newberry County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Lexington 04 lexington4.net Lexington County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 South Carolina K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Dorchester 04 dorchester4.k12.sc.us Dorchester County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Barnwell 45 barnwell45.org Barnwell County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Calhoun 01 ccpsonline.net Calhoun County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Lee 01 leeschooldistrictsc.org Lee County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
York 03 rock-hill.k12.sc.us York County Microsoft 365 ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Spartanburg 07 spartanburg7.org Spartanburg County GoDaddy ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Anderson 02 anderson2.org Anderson County Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Charleston 01 ccsdschools.com Charleston County Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Beaufort 01 beaufortschools.net Beaufort County — ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Chester 01 chester.k12.sc.us Chester County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Edgefield 01 ecsd.edgefield.k12.sc.us Edgefield County — ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Deaf & Blind School scsdb.org Spartanburg County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✗ — 30 D
Chesterfield 01 chesterfieldschools.org Chesterfield County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✗ — 30 D
Florence 05 flo5.k12.sc.us Florence County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✗ — 30 D
Dillon 03 dillon3.k12.sc.us Dillon County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✗ — 30 D

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. South Carolina County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
Spartanburg County1172.7%
Anderson County771.4%
Richland County785.7%
Lexington County683.3%
York County5100.0%
Barnwell County540.0%
Florence County580.0%
Greenwood County475.0%
Orangeburg County425.0%
Clarendon County425.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in South Carolina's K-12 email security posture. The 34.1% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full South Carolina K-12 dataset — 105 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: South CarolinaAll 105 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

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Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). South Carolina K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 105 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/sc-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.