School Connections Academy

Summary:

School Connections Academy is a public charter virtual school located in Columbia, South Carolina, serving grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 6,263 students. It is part of the Charter Institute at Erskine district, which is ranked 34 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While School Connections Academy has a higher percentage of white students (62.17%) compared to the surrounding schools, it generally performs below the state and district averages in most subject areas and grade levels, particularly in mathematics. For example, in 2023-2024, only 30.5% of 3rd graders at School Connections Academy were proficient or better in SC READY Mathematics, compared to the state average of 54.5%. Additionally, the school has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 43.16% to 50.33% over the past three school years, which is higher than the state average. The school's spending per student has also decreased from $7,895 in 2021-2022 to $6,043 in 2022-2023, which is lower than the state average, and it has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 28.3 to 32.9 over the past three school years.

Interestingly, South Carolina Virtual Charter School, another virtual charter school in the same district, generally outperforms School Connections Academy on test scores, particularly in mathematics and English language arts. These disparities in test scores and resource allocation between School Connections Academy and the surrounding schools, as well as the higher-performing virtual charter school, raise questions about equity and access to quality education for the students at School Connections Academy.


Detail:

Public, Charter, Virtual, Alternative K-12

 201 Executive Center Drive Sui
       Columbia, SC  29210


(803) 212-4712

District: Charter Institute at Erskine

SchoolDigger Rank:
461st of 638 South Carolina Alternative Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $6,043 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  28.3 Help
Number of students:  6,263

Racial breakdown:

White:
62.2%
African American:
21.9%
Hispanic:
8.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  50.3% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details School Connections Academy ranks worse than 72.3% of elementary schools in South Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.35. (See more...)
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Compare Details School Connections Academy ranks worse than 50.5% of middle schools in South Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.17. (See more...)
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Compare Details School Connections Academy ranks worse than 54% of high schools in South Carolina. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 42.2. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details School Connections Academy has the largest alternative school student body size in the Charter Institute at Erskine School District. Racial makeup is: White (62.2%), African American (21.9%), Hispanic (8.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 50.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at School Connections Academy is 28.3. 8 alternative schools in the Charter Institute at Erskine School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare School Connections Academy employs 221 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at School Connections Academy is $6,043, which is the 2nd highest among 10 alternative schools in the Charter Institute at Erskine School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

School Connections Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks School Connections Academy 461st of 638 South Carolina public elementary schools. (See School Connections Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:

SchoolDigger ranks School Connections Academy 164th of 325 South Carolina public middle schools. (See School Connections Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:

SchoolDigger ranks School Connections Academy 127th of 235 South Carolina public high schools. (See School Connections Academy in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Charter Institute at Erskine:

SchoolDigger ranks Charter Institute at Erskine 34th of 75 South Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for School Connections Academy

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Rank History for all elementary school students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 81.94 101st 622 83.8%
2022 47.41 327th 625 47.7%
2023 33.45 431st 644 33.1%
2024 27.35 461st 638 27.7%
See the entire list of South Carolina Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Multi-racial students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 41.13 5th 7 28.6%
2023 35.13 8th 10 20.0%
2024 35.89 7th 8 12.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 68.80 162nd 580 72.1%
2022 46.32 325th 600 45.8%
2023 32.77 429th 608 29.4%
2024 25.00 465th 599 22.4%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 76.72 115th 554 79.2%
2022 48.81 286th 573 50.1%
2023 34.99 385th 580 33.6%
2024 31.43 399th 565 29.4%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 48.10 79th 151 47.7%
2023 47.11 88th 174 49.4%
2024 38.22 93rd 143 35.0%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for elementary school Gifted and Talented students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 35.30 90th 109 17.4%
2023 49.99 78th 105 25.7%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 83.16 83rd 561 85.2%
2022 43.48 332nd 579 42.7%
2023 30.26 411th 582 29.4%
2024 21.68 453rd 568 20.2%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 62.58 117th 393 70.2%
2023 40.83 234th 394 40.6%
2024 30.85 272nd 369 26.3%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 53.14 53rd 115 53.9%
2023 51.84 56th 115 51.3%
2024 51.56 50th 115 56.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 63.19 154th 439 64.9%
2022 28.18 344th 455 24.4%
2023 14.12 411th 463 11.2%
2024 10.39 416th 441 5.7%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: South Carolina Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for School Connections Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 73.23 67th 311 78.5%
2022 57.36 112th 310 63.9%
2023 50.38 149th 325 54.2%
2024 45.17 164th 325 49.5%
See the entire list of South Carolina Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Multi-racial students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 55.69 16th 44 63.6%
2023 40.60 38th 58 34.5%
2024 38.26 32nd 52 38.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 65.95 80th 288 72.2%
2022 56.05 105th 300 65.0%
2023 50.08 131st 313 58.1%
2024 46.47 146th 307 52.4%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 62.58 100th 279 64.2%
2022 57.91 102nd 290 64.8%
2023 46.62 159th 299 46.8%
2024 45.33 149th 294 49.3%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 69.16 32nd 183 82.5%
2023 76.72 25th 187 86.6%
2024 64.64 42nd 177 76.3%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for middle school Gifted and Talented students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 52.01 110th 182 39.6%
2023 54.63 110th 185 40.5%
2024 52.33 116th 183 36.6%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 79.66 50th 279 82.1%
2022 54.74 118th 292 59.6%
2023 52.14 128th 303 57.8%
2024 43.66 154th 294 47.6%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 68.33 44th 249 82.3%
2023 59.85 78th 253 69.2%
2024 55.87 87th 248 64.9%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 63.42 43rd 129 66.7%
2023 58.93 46th 141 67.4%
2024 61.51 46th 144 68.1%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for middle school White students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 56.69 100th 244 59.0%
2022 37.15 158th 249 36.5%
2023 30.08 185th 260 28.8%
2024 23.02 204th 255 20.0%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: South Carolina Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for School Connections Academy

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Rank History for all high school students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 51.68 88th 226 61.1%
2023 39.77 134th 237 43.5%
2024 42.20 127th 235 46.0%
See the entire list of South Carolina Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Multi-racial students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 37.68 34th 48 29.2%
2023 43.37 37th 57 35.1%
2024 29.77 40th 53 24.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 52.01 87th 220 60.5%
2023 35.95 142nd 226 37.2%
2024 42.36 122nd 229 46.7%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 45.17 113th 220 48.6%
2023 32.82 146th 223 34.5%
2024 40.96 136th 225 39.6%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Disabled students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 69.80 29th 139 79.1%
2023 54.56 53rd 141 62.4%
2024 61.30 46th 145 68.3%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for high school Gifted and Talented students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 56.56 87th 156 44.2%
2024 57.39 90th 157 42.7%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 55.77 83rd 224 62.9%
2023 44.09 111th 229 51.5%
2024 42.05 122nd 228 46.5%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school African American students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 46.05 93rd 190 51.1%
2023 36.50 122nd 199 38.7%
2024 41.59 117th 194 39.7%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 68.63 25th 108 76.9%
2023 64.52 36th 119 69.7%
2024 58.12 44th 121 63.6%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for high school White students at School Connections Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SC State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 35.51 120th 192 37.5%
2023 21.26 160th 197 18.8%
2024 24.44 158th 196 19.4%
See the entire list of Best South Carolina Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: South Carolina Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

School Connections Academy Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
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Data source: South Carolina State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for School Connections Academy

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2021 4412 971 59 445 22 9 380 0 6298
2022 4039 1330 66 474 25 5 411 0 6350
2023 3894 1369 49 508 21 6 416 0 6263

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at School Connections Academy

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2021 6298 191.0 32.9 43.2
2022 6350 201.0 31.5 44.6
2023 6263 221.0 28.3 50.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio School Connections Academy

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2021 6298 191.0 32.9 43.2
2022 6350 201.0 31.5 44.6
2023 6263 221.0 28.3 50.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for School Connections Academy

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2022 $31 (0.4%) $27 (0.3%) $57 (0.7%) $2,698 (34.2%) $5,140 (65.1%) $7,837 (99.3%) $7,895
2023 $45 (0.7%) $29 (0.5%) $74 (1.2%) $2,155 (35.7%) $3,814 (63.1%) $5,969 (98.8%) $6,043

Data source: South Carolina Department of Education


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Frequently Asked Questions about School Connections Academy

School Connections Academy ranks 461st of 638 South Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 6,263 students attended School Connections Academy.

Students at School Connections Academy are 62% White, 22% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.


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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.





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