South Carolina Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe

The South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe (JDLH) is a public residential high school focused on providing a unique and challenging agricultural education program. Located in McCormick, SC, on 1,310 acres of forest and farmland, students grades 10th-12th have the opportunity to receive hands-on training in the fields of agribusiness, forestry, equipment operation, land management, food science, and more. The John de la Howe School is the oldest educational institution in South Carolina for children under college age. The school was established in 1797 through the will of Dr. John de la Howe, a French physician who served in the Seven Years’ War in Europe and immigrated to Charleston in 1764 and later made his home here to be close to the French Huguenots at New Bordeaux. He left all of his estate to the establishment of an “agricultural seminary” for 12 poor boys and 12 poor girls with the provision that they study the basic courses, agriculture, and related subjects so that they could prosper for a lifetime. In 1832, the Lethe Agricultural Seminary opened its doors as the first school in the nation to offer a manual education program for young people. John de la Howe School became an agency of the State of South Carolina in 1918 and for many years was known as the “state’s orphanage,” which continued Dr. de la Howe’s desire for children in need to have a home and receive an education in an agricultural setting. In the 1980s, the mission changed to serve children with behavioral and emotional problems, offering a haven for them to grow, heal, and make lasting change. In 2017, a Feasibility Study was conducted finding that the John de la Howe School should undertake a mission of becoming a statewide residential high school for agricultural and mechanical studies. Through legislation signed by SC Governor Henry McMaster, the John de la Howe School was designated the third Governor's School for the State of South Carolina.