School Public Charter School District

The School Public Charter School District in South Carolina serves 43 charter schools—including elementary, middle, high, and alternative programs—spanning urban, suburban, and rural communities, with enrollment ranging from just 38 students at Sea Islands Heritage Academy to over 1,700 at Carolus Online Academy.

This district is sharply divided between standout performers and schools facing serious challenges. At the top, Greer Middle College Charter High and Greenville Technical Charter High School rank in the 96th–97th percentile statewide with 5-star ratings and near-perfect EOCEP proficiency. Meeting Street Academy-Spartanburg leads elementary schools with 95.1% third-grade math proficiency, while Riverwalk Academy and Pee Dee Math Sci & Technical both achieve 100% graduation rates. By contrast, Learn4Life High School-Charleston has a 16.2% graduation rate and 90.1% chronic absenteeism, while Lowcountry Acceleration Academy and Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy also post very low graduation rates. The district’s overall graduation rate (77.4%) trails the state (86.7%), and its dropout rate (5.9%) is nearly triple the state average.

Engagement is the clearest predictor of success. Schools like East Point Academy (7.2% absenteeism) and York Preparatory Academy (10.4%) dominate academically, while Carolus Online Academy struggles with 48.5% absenteeism and 1.3% eighth-grade math proficiency. The four GREEN Charter School Greenville campuses vary wildly—from the 85th percentile in Greenville to the 12th percentile in Lowcountry. Notably, high spending doesn’t guarantee results: Butler Academy spends $15,317 per student yet ranks in the 44th percentile, while Fox Creek High spends $9,211 and ranks in the 69th. For parents, the takeaway is clear: research individual schools carefully, as the district’s average masks a wide gap between exceptional options and those needing significant improvement.