Marquice Clark of Spartanburg is the 2025 South Carolina Elementary Principal of the Year.
On Monday, the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) named Clark, principal of The Cleveland Academy of Leadership in Spartanburg School District Seven, South Carolina Elementary Principal of the Year.
Clark was surprised by the news at the Spartanburg School District 7 District Office, where he was greeted with a cake, balloons, and flowers and several of his longtime supporters.
Clark's third-grade teacher, Bill Austin, who lives in Sumter, where Clark grew up, was in attendance. According to District 7, Austin was the teacher who "turned him around" in school and set him on the path that led to Monday's announcement.
Others in attendance included Kathy Maness, executive director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, Clark’s parents and wife and children.
During the announcement, his daughter, Charlotte, a first grader at Cleveland, and Tyjuan Rimmer, a Spartanburg High School senior he taught in second grade, presented him with a bouquet.
District 7 principals, cabinet members, and board members, along with Bill Barnet, former mayor of Spartanburg, and business owner Marcos Gomez, past Cleveland Academy principal Fred Logan, and Russell Booker, past D7 superintendent who hired Dr. Clark and now leads Spartanburg Academic Movement, were also in attendance.
“We are excited to announce that Dr. Marquice Clark has been named the SCASA Elementary Principal of the Year,” said Dr. Quincie Moore, executive director of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, in a statement. “Dr. Clark has truly revolutionized The Cleveland Academy of Leadership."
Under Clark's guidance, the Cleveland Academy has reduced discipline referrals and improved academic proficiency—raising proficiency in ELA from 20% to 52%, math from 13% to 58%, and science from 7% to 55%, according to Moore.
"He has demonstrated that transformative leadership can yield significant results," Moore said.
Cleveland Academy earned its first-ever “Excellent” SC School Report Card rating since its creation in 1999, and garnered a back-to-back “Excellent” rating this year, according to Moore.
"His holistic approach, focusing on whole-child initiatives, community engagement, and data-driven strategies, has not just improved test scores but fundamentally changed the trajectory of his students’ lives,” Moore said.
Jeff Stevens, superintendent of Spartanburg School District Seven, also congratulated Clark.
“Dr. Clark is an exemplary leader for the Cleveland Academy," he said. "His deep understanding of our children’s needs drives his commitment to providing each one with the individualized support they deserve. Where others may see challenges, Dr. Clark sees possibilities, and his innovative approach ensures Cleveland meets the needs of families in ways that go far beyond a typical school community. As a ‘Beating the Odds School,’ Cleveland defies expectations about high-poverty schools, achieving what many once deemed impossible.”
A veteran panel of judges selected Clark from a field of administrator candidates. Michael Antonelli, principal of Carolina Park Elementary School in the Charleston County School District, was another finalist for the 2025 South Carolina Elementary Principal of the Year award. The National Association of Elementary School Principals sets the criteria for this award.