Empowerment and Enrichment Academy

Empowerment and Enrichment Academy in Columbia, SC, is a specialized high school serving grades 5-12 within the Dept of Juvenile Justice district, and it is important for parents to understand that this is not a traditional public school but a juvenile justice facility. The school has consistently ranked at the very bottom of all high schools in South Carolina, placing 235th out of 235 schools (0th percentile) for the 2024-2025 school year, a position it has held for many years. Its academic metrics are critically low, with only 11.11% of students proficient in Algebra 1 compared to the state average of 73.95%, and 0% proficient in U.S. History versus 61.47% statewide. However, there is a relative strength in English 2, where 57.14% of students achieved proficiency, though this still falls below the state average of 86.41%.

This school's performance stands in stark contrast to nearby traditional and charter schools. For example, Gray Collegiate Academy, a high-performing charter school just 4.88 miles away, ranks in the 97th percentile with near-perfect test scores and a 100% graduation rate. Similarly, Dutch Fork High and River Bluff High rank in the 77th to 97th percentiles, with proficiency rates often above state averages. Even lower-performing nearby schools like Eau Claire High and Columbia High have significantly higher test scores, with Eau Claire's 54.4% Algebra 1 proficiency being nearly five times higher than the Academy's 11.11%.

The school's reported enrollment of 0 students and a student-teacher ratio of 0 are highly unusual and likely reflect the transient nature of its population within the juvenile justice system, where data may not be collected in the same way as for traditional schools. This facility is located on Broad River Road near other specialized schools like Sara Babb High, Broad River High, and Kirkland High, all under the Dept Of Correction N04 district, indicating a concentrated area for alternative education and correctional facilities. The absence of data on graduation, dropout, and chronic absenteeism rates further underscores that traditional academic metrics may not fully apply here, as the school's primary mission likely involves rehabilitation and providing educational continuity for students in the justice system.