A Charter School Is a Public School of Choice

The Charter Schools Program

The South Carolina Charter Schools Act of 1996 defines a charter school as a public, nonreligious, non home-based, nonprofit corporation forming a school that operates by sponsorship of a public school district, the South Carolina Public Charter School District, or a public or independent institution of higher learning, but is accountable to the board of trustees, or in the case of technical colleges, the area commission, of the sponsor which grants its charter.

Purpose of a Charter School:

  • Improve student learning
  • Increase learning opportunities for students
  • Encourage the use of a variety of productive teaching methods
  • Establish new forms of accountability for schools
  • Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site
  • Assist South Carolina in reaching academic excellence
  • Create new, innovative, and more flexible ways of educating children within the public school system, with the goal of closing achievement gaps between low performing student groups and high performing student groups

From ED.SC.GOV website

Who We Are

The Only Locally Sponsored Charter School in Beaufort County

  • We are part of Beaufort County School District
  • We receive funding from the state, the district, and private donations

A School of Choice for all Beaufort County Residents

  • We are tuition-free
  • We ONLY enroll Beaufort County Residents

A Small School with Low Student-Teacher ratio

  • 720 Maximum School Enrollment
  • 20 Students/Homeroom x 4 Homerooms/Grade Level, Grades K-8

On-site Management, Accountable to School District

  • We are Governed by a Board of Directors comprised of parents and community stakeholders
  • We have autonomy over our instruction and daily operations
  • We have the same academic and testing requirements of other district schools