1. Home
  2. South Carolina
  3. Columbia
  4. Charter Institute at Erskine
  5. School Connections Academy
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

School Connections Academy

Public, Charter, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12
485th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 661 South Carolina Alternative Schools
Better than 27% of South Carolina alternative schools
Summary

School Connections Academy is a large, statewide virtual charter school in Columbia, SC, serving 6,152 students in grades K-12 through the Charter Institute at Erskine. It is the largest school in its comparison group, and about half of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a significant population of economically disadvantaged families.

The most striking thing about this school is how well it keeps students engaged. Only 0.4% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, compared to 22.3% statewide—a remarkable achievement for a virtual school, where disengagement is common. Its dropout rate is also exceptionally low at 0.8%, and its graduation rate of 89.8% beats both the district (82.8%) and state (86.7%) averages. This stands in stark contrast to Carolus Online Academy, another virtual school nearby, which has a 48.5% chronic absenteeism rate and a 52.4% graduation rate. Even compared to South Carolina Virtual Charter School, School Connections Academy posts better engagement and graduation numbers. The school also spends less per student ($8,987) than most comparable schools, suggesting strong operational efficiency.

Academically, the school shows a clear split. In English Language Arts, students perform at or above state averages in most grades, and the English 2 End-of-Course exam proficiency rate (85.14%) exceeds the state. However, math is a persistent weakness—proficiency rates lag the state by 15 to 23 points in grades 3 through 8. For example, only 17.4% of 6th graders are proficient in math versus 40.9% statewide. This pattern has remained consistent over three years. If your child needs strong math support, this may be a concern, but for families seeking a flexible, engaging virtual option with excellent student retention and strong literacy outcomes, School Connections Academy is a standout choice.

6,152
Students ?
22.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$8,987
Per pupil spending ?
47.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 201 Executive Center Drive Sui
       Columbia, SC  29210

(803) 212-4712

District: Charter Institute at Erskine

Racial breakdown:

White:
62.7%
African American:
20.4%
Hispanic:
8.6%
more
 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare School Connections Academy to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2023 → 32nd in 2026
Strengths
✓90% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the South Carolina average (46% vs 57% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2023
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school46%
District avg49%
South Carolina avg57%
Elementary school
485th of 661
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 27%▼ down 57 pts since 2021
From top 16% (2021) to bottom 27% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
203rd of 341
South Carolina public middle schools ?
Bottom 40%▼ down 38 pts since 2021
From top 22% (2021) to bottom 40% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
168th of 248
South Carolina public high schools ?
Bottom 32%▼ down 29 pts since 2022
From top 39% (2022) to bottom 32% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
8th of 12Alternative Schools in the Charter Institute at Erskine
43rd of 75Charter Institute at Erskine 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202626.8485 of 66126.6%★☆☆☆☆
202525.6485 of 63924.1%★☆☆☆☆
202427.4465 of 64327.7%★☆☆☆☆
202333.5431 of 64433.1%★★☆☆☆
202247.4327 of 62547.7%★★☆☆☆
202181.9101 of 62283.8%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202629.8297 of 38422.7%★☆☆☆☆
202524.6320 of 38015.8%★☆☆☆☆
202430.8270 of 36926.8%★☆☆☆☆
202340.8234 of 39440.6%★★☆☆☆
202262.6117 of 39370.2%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202640.791 of 15641.7%★★☆☆☆
202530.3112 of 14723.8%★☆☆☆☆
202438.294 of 14334.3%★★☆☆☆
202347.188 of 17449.4%★★★☆☆
202248.179 of 15147.7%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202630.0427 of 59928.7%★☆☆☆☆
202527.9431 of 58025.7%★☆☆☆☆
202431.4401 of 56829.4%★☆☆☆☆
202335.0385 of 58033.6%★★☆☆☆
202248.8286 of 57350.1%★★★☆☆
202176.7115 of 55479.2%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202638.1167 of 19614.8%★☆☆☆☆
202540.777 of 10123.8%★☆☆☆☆
202350.078 of 10525.7%★☆☆☆☆
202235.390 of 10917.4%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202637.3107 of 15932.7%★★☆☆☆
202553.269 of 15655.8%★★★☆☆
202451.650 of 11456.1%★★★☆☆
202351.856 of 11551.3%★★★☆☆
202253.153 of 11553.9%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202623.0518 of 63418.3%★☆☆☆☆
202520.6523 of 61214.5%★☆☆☆☆
202425.0468 of 60222.3%★☆☆☆☆
202332.8429 of 60829.4%★☆☆☆☆
202246.3325 of 60045.8%★★☆☆☆
202168.8162 of 58072.1%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202621.5471 of 59120.3%★☆☆☆☆
202521.9467 of 58520.2%★☆☆☆☆
202421.7455 of 57120.3%★☆☆☆☆
202330.3411 of 58229.4%★☆☆☆☆
202243.5332 of 57942.7%★★☆☆☆
202183.283 of 56185.2%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202633.99 of 1435.7%★★★☆☆
202522.214 of 140.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202335.18 of 1020.0%★☆☆☆☆
202241.15 of 728.6%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202610.0432 of 4636.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202510.3430 of 4596.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202410.4420 of 4465.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202314.1411 of 46311.2%★☆☆☆☆
202228.2344 of 45524.4%★☆☆☆☆
202163.2154 of 43964.9%★★★☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202639.7203 of 34140.5%★★☆☆☆
202541.2180 of 32143.9%★★☆☆☆
202445.2165 of 32248.8%★★☆☆☆
202350.4149 of 32554.2%★★★☆☆
202257.4112 of 31063.9%★★★☆☆
202173.267 of 31178.5%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202640.8153 of 25840.7%★★☆☆☆
202547.9125 of 25150.2%★★★☆☆
202455.987 of 24664.6%★★★☆☆
202359.878 of 25369.2%★★★★☆
202268.344 of 24982.3%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202657.765 of 19266.1%★★★☆☆
202558.753 of 18471.2%★★★★☆
202464.643 of 17775.7%★★★★☆
202376.725 of 18786.6%★★★★☆
202269.232 of 18382.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202641.6181 of 31041.6%★★☆☆☆
202541.6169 of 29542.7%★★☆☆☆
202445.3152 of 29348.1%★★☆☆☆
202346.6159 of 29946.8%★★☆☆☆
202257.9102 of 29064.8%★★★☆☆
202162.6100 of 27964.2%★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202646.0143 of 19727.4%★☆☆☆☆
202548.2124 of 17328.3%★☆☆☆☆
202452.3116 of 18437.0%★★☆☆☆
202354.6110 of 18540.5%★★☆☆☆
202252.0110 of 18239.6%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202658.659 of 15962.9%★★★☆☆
202556.858 of 15662.8%★★★☆☆
202461.546 of 14468.1%★★★☆☆
202358.946 of 14167.4%★★★☆☆
202263.443 of 12966.7%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202637.2201 of 32538.2%★★☆☆☆
202540.1184 of 30840.3%★★☆☆☆
202446.5147 of 30451.6%★★★☆☆
202350.1131 of 31358.1%★★★☆☆
202256.0105 of 30065.0%★★★☆☆
202165.980 of 28872.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202634.5201 of 31035.2%★★☆☆☆
202539.3181 of 29839.3%★★☆☆☆
202443.7156 of 29246.6%★★☆☆☆
202352.1128 of 30357.8%★★★☆☆
202254.7118 of 29259.6%★★★☆☆
202179.750 of 27982.1%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202629.646 of 6529.2%★★☆☆☆
202530.146 of 6327.0%★☆☆☆☆
202438.332 of 5238.5%★★☆☆☆
202340.638 of 5834.5%★★☆☆☆
202255.716 of 4463.6%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202620.2228 of 27115.9%★☆☆☆☆
202520.3219 of 25915.4%★☆☆☆☆
202423.0205 of 25619.9%★☆☆☆☆
202330.1185 of 26028.8%★☆☆☆☆
202237.1158 of 24936.5%★★☆☆☆
202156.7100 of 24459.0%★★★☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202633.8168 of 24832.3%★★☆☆☆
202531.5167 of 24030.4%★★☆☆☆
202442.2130 of 24346.5%★★☆☆☆
202339.8134 of 23743.5%★★☆☆☆
202251.788 of 22661.1%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202632.1148 of 20026.0%★☆☆☆☆
202531.8151 of 19623.0%★☆☆☆☆
202441.6119 of 19739.6%★★☆☆☆
202336.5122 of 19938.7%★★☆☆☆
202246.193 of 19051.1%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202651.753 of 13661.0%★★★☆☆
202549.466 of 14052.9%★★★☆☆
202461.347 of 14768.0%★★★☆☆
202354.653 of 14162.4%★★★☆☆
202269.829 of 13979.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202626.8171 of 22925.3%★☆☆☆☆
202526.8170 of 22925.8%★☆☆☆☆
202441.0140 of 23139.4%★★☆☆☆
202332.8146 of 22334.5%★★☆☆☆
202245.2113 of 22048.6%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202644.5119 of 15523.2%★☆☆☆☆
202534.7129 of 15416.2%★☆☆☆☆
202457.491 of 15842.4%★★☆☆☆
202356.687 of 15644.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202650.664 of 12448.4%★★★☆☆
202539.981 of 12233.6%★★☆☆☆
202458.145 of 12263.1%★★★☆☆
202364.536 of 11969.7%★★★★☆
202268.625 of 10876.9%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202629.0180 of 24125.3%★☆☆☆☆
202528.3172 of 23025.2%★☆☆☆☆
202442.4126 of 23546.4%★★☆☆☆
202336.0142 of 22637.2%★★☆☆☆
202252.087 of 22060.5%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202636.6151 of 23335.2%★★☆☆☆
202531.5155 of 22832.0%★★☆☆☆
202442.0125 of 23446.6%★★☆☆☆
202344.1111 of 22951.5%★★★☆☆
202255.883 of 22462.9%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202620.352 of 6114.8%★☆☆☆☆
202525.349 of 5916.9%★☆☆☆☆
202429.840 of 5324.5%★☆☆☆☆
202343.437 of 5735.1%★★☆☆☆
202237.734 of 4829.2%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202614.9182 of 20310.3%★☆☆☆☆
202515.1176 of 20012.0%★☆☆☆☆
202424.4162 of 20219.8%★☆☆☆☆
202321.3160 of 19718.8%★☆☆☆☆
202235.5120 of 19237.5%★★☆☆☆
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
Disabled (2026)42nd percentile+15 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)36th percentile+9 vs school
Hispanic (2026)33rd percentile+6 vs school
Female (2026)29th percentile~ school
African American (2026)23rd percentile-4 vs school
Male (2026)20th percentile-6 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile-8 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)15th percentile-12 vs school
White (2026)7th percentile-20 vs school
Middle school
Disabled (2026)66th percentile+26 vs school
Hispanic (2026)63rd percentile+22 vs school
Female (2026)42nd percentile~ school
African American (2026)41st percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile~ school
Male (2026)35th percentile-5 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)29th percentile-11 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)27th percentile-13 vs school
White (2026)16th percentile-25 vs school
High school
Disabled (2026)61st percentile+29 vs school
Hispanic (2026)48th percentile+16 vs school
Male (2026)35th percentile+3 vs school
African American (2026)26th percentile-6 vs school
Female (2026)25th percentile-7 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile-7 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)23rd percentile-9 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)15th percentile-18 vs school
White (2026)10th percentile-22 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?
English 285%~ state avg
English Language Arts58%-4 vs state
Biology 1/Applied Biology 244%-16 vs state
U.S. History and the Constitution42%-21 vs state
Science41%-11 vs state
Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 228%-36 vs state
Mathematics25%-23 vs state

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate School Connections Academy and help other families decide.
Rate School Connections Academy
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.


Schools Near School Connections Academy

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Frequently Asked Questions about School Connections Academy

School Connections Academy ranks 485th of 661 South Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Students at School Connections Academy are 63% White, 20% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 6,152 students attended School Connections Academy.

Rate School Connections Academy!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina Alternative School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Columbia, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for School Connections Academy!


Latest South Carolina data All new data »
2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025
2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025
2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 2025


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.

Diagnostics