In 1968 as a result of integration and the growth within South Carolina, the SCHSL instituted the 4 class system.

Specifications were pretty simple.

If the school  had over 1000 students enrolled in the school, then you were placed in the newly created Class 4A. The majority of the school s in the initial class of 4A were located in the upstate, the midlands, and along of the ole Pee Dee conference lines. Only one school was located in Charleston.

7 of the 25 schools were located in Columbia, 3 were located in Greenville and the remainder were spread out over what was then rural South Carolina.

These were the original Class 4A members.

Conference        School

Region 1               Aiken   

Region 1               Airport                             Current Class 3A Member

Region 1               Brookland Cayce              Current Class 3A Member

Region 1               Columbia                         Current Class 2A Member

Region 1               Greenwood

Region 1               North Augusta

Region 2               Anderson                         CLOSED (Students to Hanna and Westside)

Region 2               Dorman

Region 2               Gaffney

Region 2               Greenville                           Current Class 3A Member

Region 2               Parker                                CLOSED (Students to Greenville and Berea)

Region 2               Spartanburg

Region 2               Wade Hampton                   Current Class 3A Member

Region 3               Camden                              Current Class 3A Member

Region 3               Florence                             CLOSED (Students to South, West and Wilson)

Region 3               Hartsville                            Current Class 3A Member

Region 3               Lancaster

Region 3               Rock Hill

Region 3               Sumter

Region 4               AC Flora                            Current Class 3A Member

Region 4               Dentsville                            Current Class 3A Member

Region 4               Dreher                                Current Class 3A Member

Region 4               Eau Claire                           Current Class 3A Member

Region 4               Orangeburg                        Current Class 3A Member

Region 4               St Andrews                         CLOSED (Students to West Ashley)

Out of the 25 members that made up the very first Class 4A alignment in 1968, only 9 are still members of 4A today.

4 of the schools closed over the years or were consolidated into other schools.

11 of the schools have dropped down in classification to 3A and Columbia has dropped down to 2A.