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Polaris Technical Charter School

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

631^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Alternative Schools

Better than 1% of South Carolina alternative schools

Summary

Polaris Technical Charter School is an alternative public charter school located in Ridgeland, South Carolina, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 515 students. The school is part of the School Public Charter School District, which is ranked 30 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Polaris Technical Charter School faces significant challenges, with low graduation rates, high dropout and chronic absenteeism rates, and underperforming test scores compared to the state and nearby charter schools. The school's 4-year graduation rate has declined from 83.8% in 2022-2023 to 47.0% in 2023-2024, which is significantly lower than the state average of 85.83%. Additionally, the school's dropout rate has fluctuated between 2.3% and 10.8% in recent years, higher than the state average of 2.5%. Polaris Technical Charter School also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 21.3% to 36.9% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average of 22.9%.

Interestingly, Polaris Technical Charter School is located in the same district as two other public charter schools, Bridges Preparatory School and Lowcountry Montessori School, which generally outperform Polaris Technical Charter School in terms of graduation rates, dropout rates, chronic absenteeism, and test scores. Additionally, Polaris Technical Charter School has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 99.42% in the 2023-2024 school year, significantly higher than the nearby charter schools, which have free and reduced lunch rates ranging from 16.68% to 18.56%.

514

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,890

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1508 Grays Hwy
Ridgeland, SC 29936

(843) 645-0605

District: School Public Charter School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.3%

Hispanic:

28.0%

White:

17.9%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Polaris Technical Charter School to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2024 → 14th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2024

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (29% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Science scores 39 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg53%

South Carolina avg56%

Elementary school

631^st of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▬ steady since 2024

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

289^th of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▲ up 8 pts since 2024

From bottom 1% (2024) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

201^st of 235

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 13 pts since 2024

From bottom 1% (2024) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Alternative Schools in the School Public Charter School District

30^th of 75School Public Charter School District among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	6.0	631 of 640	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	629 of 638	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	375 of 381	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	368 of 369	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	565 of 581	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	582 of 613	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	584 of 599	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	289 of 320	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	321 of 325	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	221 of 252	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	244 of 248	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	11.0	275 of 295	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.4	294 of 294	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	254 of 307	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	302 of 307	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	201 of 235	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	2.9	232 of 235	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	156 of 194	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	4.1	222 of 225	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.1	225 of 225	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	197 of 226	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	222 of 229	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	152 of 224	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)12th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)7th percentile-3 vs school

High school

Male (2025)32nd percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)20th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English 284%~ state avg

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 251%-23 vs state

English Language Arts37%-22 vs state

English 127%-34 vs state

Mathematics13%-31 vs state

Science10%-39 vs state

★

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Schools Near Polaris Technical Charter School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)						SC READY Mathematics (2025)						SC READY Science (2025)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	EOCEP English 1 (2025)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2025)	EOCEP English 2 (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Polaris Technical Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1508 Grays Hwy	Ridgeland	29936	Jasper County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(843) 645-0605	514	44	11.6		92 (17.9%)	269 (52.3%)	144 (28.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)								(n/a)	31.3	30.0	36.1	39.1	48.4	40.4	21.9	15.0	25.0	2.4	16.1	2.1	12.5	7.3	50.9	27.5		84.5	$11,890	$1,338	$164	$1,502	$6,937	$3,451	$10,388
Royal Live Oaks Academy of the Arts and Sciences Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	400 John Smith Road	Hardeeville	29927	Jasper County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	No	No	Yes	(843) 784-2630	688	54	12.7		78 (11.3%)	191 (27.8%)	400 (58.1%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.0%)								(n/a)	53.9	54.7	55.5	50.0	60.7	50.9	51.9	56.6	50.0	23.4	25.5	23.6	37.8	58.4	84.9	60.0	55.0	82.5	$14,030	$1,037	$872	$1,909	$9,969	$2,152	$12,121
Bridges Preparatory School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	555 Robert Smalls Parkway	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 982-7737	1,472	98	15.0		974 (66.2%)	193 (13.1%)	175 (11.9%)	27 (1.8%)	13 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (6.1%)								(n/a)	67.5	80.0	62.5	66.2	74.0	68.0	57.5	71.6	41.7	39.8	42.9	37.1	60.0	62.1		77.2	76.1	96.7	$11,095	$589	$269	$858	$8,092	$2,145	$10,237
Lowcountry Montessori School	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	749 Broad River Drive	Beaufort	29906	Beaufort County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 322-0577	408	29	14.2		287 (70.3%)	66 (16.2%)	37 (9.1%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.7%)	6 (1.5%)								(n/a)	78.6	56.0	76.1	37.5		64.0	21.5	8.0	33.3	16.7		8.0	20.0	8.4		70.4	51.5	96.0	$11,504	$634	$123	$756	$8,236	$2,512	$10,748

Frequently Asked Questions about Polaris Technical Charter School

What district is Polaris Technical Charter School in?

School Public Charter School District

Is Polaris Technical Charter School a good school?

Polaris Technical Charter School ranks in the bottom 1.4% of South Carolina alternative schools.

What is the racial makeup of Polaris Technical Charter School?

Students at Polaris Technical Charter School are 52% African American, 28% Hispanic, 18% White.

How many students attend Polaris Technical Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 514 students attended Polaris Technical Charter School.

Rate Polaris Technical Charter School!

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SCSouth Carolina Alternative School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Ridgeland, SC

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.