The South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee developed an accountability system that informs the public of the status of public schools while meeting the mandate of state and federal law (Robinson, 2018). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a U.S. Law that passed in December 2015 that governs the United States K-12 public education policy. The ESSA Law requires that each school in South Carolina receives a performance rating of Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, or Unsatisfactory. The performance ratings are based on the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate which is a set of expected criteria for each student who graduates from high school in the South Carolina Public Education System. The expressed goal of the accountability system is to improve teaching and learning so that all students are equipped with a strong academic foundation and to ensure that all students graduate with world-class knowledge, skills, and characteristics as defined by the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. The accountability system is designed to promote high levels of student achievement through strong and effective schools (Accountability Manual, 2022). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effectiveness of overall academic achievement, school climate, teacher retention, and per-pupil expenditure on college readiness. Although these indicators impact student achievement, this study aimed to seek their correlation to college readiness. The research study looked at 150 high schools in the state of South Carolina. The school data was compiled from the South Carolina Department of Education Report Card for the 2021-2022 school year, and the schools studied were categorized as rural, urban, or suburban. Research question (1): Is there any significant correlation in college readiness based on overall academic achievement? The results of the study indicated that there is a significantly high correlation between college readiness and academic achievement. Research question (2): Is there any significant correlation in college readiness based on school climate? The results of the study indicated that there is a correlation between college readiness and school climate. Research question (3): Is there any significant correlation in college readiness based on teacher retention? The results of the study indicated that teacher retention has almost no correlation to college readiness. Research question (4): Is there any significant correlation in college readiness based on per-pupil expenditure? The results of the study indicated that per-pupil expenditure has a slightly negative correlation to college readiness. This research study suggested recommendations for academic achievement, including additional targeted professional development for Algebra I and English II teachers. The professional development will identify specific strategies to help increase student scores on both assessments while increasing academic achievement as it directly relates to college readiness. It is recommended that a future study could analyze how teachers' ability to set high expectations influences students' college readiness. This recommendation, as well as others for research specific to the indicators, are found at the end of this dissertation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]