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Gray Collegiate Academy

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

11^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 96% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Gray Collegiate Academy is a public charter school in West Columbia, SC, serving 935 students in grades 6-12 under the Charter Institute at Erskine. This school stands out as one of the top performers in the state, ranking 11th out of 245 high schools in South Carolina for the 2025-2026 school year—a 96th percentile, 5-star rating that has been consistently earned since 2021-2022.

The most striking results are in graduation and attendance. Gray Collegiate boasts a 100% graduation rate for two consecutive years (compared to the state average of 86.7%) and a 0.0% dropout rate over the past five years. Chronic absenteeism sits at just 3.7%, which is roughly 8-11 times lower than nearby traditional schools like Irmo High (28.0%), Brookland-Cayce High (32.7%), and Airport High (33.6%). Academically, the school outperforms state averages by 20-40 percentage points in every subject, including 99.51% proficiency in English 2 and 88% proficiency in 8th-grade math (nearly double the state average of 44.2%).

What makes this school particularly noteworthy is its combination of excellence and equity. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds rank 9th out of 238 schools statewide (96th percentile), and the school ranks 4th in the state for African American student performance. All of this is achieved while spending just $9,602 per student—roughly half of what nearby schools spend (e.g., Columbia High spends $21,575). The contrast with Midlands Middle College, another local charter ranking 175th with an 11.3% dropout rate, shows that charter status alone doesn't drive success—Gray Collegiate's specific culture and practices clearly do. The only area of relative weakness is with Gifted and Talented students (63rd percentile), suggesting the school excels at lifting all students to high standards rather than pushing already-advanced learners further.

935

Students ?

24.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,602

Per pupil spending ?

15%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3833 Leaphart Road
West Columbia, SC 29169

(803) 951-3321

District: Charter Institute at Erskine

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.3%

African American:

16.4%

Hispanic:

6.6%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Gray Collegiate Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 83rd percentile in 2019 → 96th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (80% vs 56% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of South Carolina high schools

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school80%

District avg50%

South Carolina avg56%

Middle school

20^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 6%▬ steady since 2023

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

11^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 12 pts since 2019

From top 17% (2019) to top 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High Schools in the Charter Institute at Erskine

43^rd 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.0	20 of 341	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	96.7	12 of 321	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	16 of 322	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	19 of 325	94.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.5	20 of 258	92.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.9	16 of 310	94.8%	★★★★★
2025	96.3	10 of 295	96.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.5	13 of 293	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	79.8	52 of 299	82.6%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.1	37 of 197	81.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.8	54 of 173	68.8%	★★★★☆
2023	46.1	123 of 185	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.4	7 of 159	95.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	90.3	15 of 325	95.4%	★★★★★
2025	99.5	3 of 308	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	97.4	6 of 313	98.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.0	19 of 310	93.9%	★★★★★
2025	96.6	11 of 298	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.9	15 of 292	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	10 of 303	96.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	87.5	24 of 271	91.1%	★★★★★
2025	90.6	19 of 259	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	89.0	25 of 256	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	84.8	35 of 260	86.5%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.3	11 of 248	95.6%	★★★★★
2025	93.1	7 of 240	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	88.8	12 of 243	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	87.1	17 of 237	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	80.8	23 of 226	89.8%	★★★★★
2021	67.1	49 of 227	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	65.2	38 of 225	83.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	98.7	4 of 200	98.0%	★★★★★
2025	99.4	2 of 196	99.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.3	5 of 197	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	87.6	15 of 199	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	89.7	9 of 190	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	62.8	46 of 178	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	68.6	31 of 184	83.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.8	10 of 229	95.6%	★★★★★
2025	92.8	7 of 229	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	88.0	13 of 231	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	84.9	18 of 223	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	82.0	21 of 220	90.5%	★★★★★
2021	64.8	61 of 213	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	32 of 213	85.0%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	57 of 155	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.8	66 of 154	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	75 of 158	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.4	23 of 156	85.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.9	9 of 241	96.3%	★★★★★
2025	94.3	5 of 230	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	90.0	12 of 235	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	93.5	8 of 226	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	82.3	19 of 220	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	70.3	37 of 213	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	22 of 217	89.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.5	11 of 233	95.3%	★★★★★
2025	93.4	8 of 228	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	88.7	12 of 234	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	14 of 229	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	78.3	26 of 224	88.4%	★★★★☆
2021	66.5	48 of 215	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.5	38 of 218	82.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.3	12 of 203	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	88.5	7 of 200	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	85.5	13 of 202	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	84.0	17 of 197	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	71.6	40 of 192	79.2%	★★★★☆
2021	64.7	54 of 189	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	63.5	44 of 191	77.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Middle school

Hispanic (2026)96th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile~ school

Female (2026)95th percentile~ school

Male (2026)94th percentile~ school

African American (2026)92nd percentile~ school

White (2026)91st percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)81st percentile-13 vs school

High school

African American (2026)98th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)96th percentile~ school

Male (2026)95th percentile~ school

White (2026)94th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)63rd percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 2100%+16 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution86%+24 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 286%+25 vs state

English Language Arts84%+26 vs state

Mathematics71%+29 vs state

Science65%+13 vs state

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Schools Near Gray Collegiate Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	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 (2024)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 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
Gray Collegiate Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	3833 Leaphart Road	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 951-3321	935	38	24.9	15.0%	667 (71.3%)	153 (16.4%)	62 (6.6%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.1%)	94.3	11^th of 248 public high schools	95.6%		93.1	7^th of 240 public high schools	97.1%	4	75.2	88.8	91.3	59.6	71.7	88.0	65.1		86.2	86.2	99.5	$9,602	$1,106	$181	$1,286	$5,154	$3,162	$8,316
River Bluff High	Public	9-12	320 Corley Mill Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-0700	2,117	131	16.1	26.3%	1,422 (67.2%)	230 (10.9%)	188 (8.9%)	180 (8.5%)	2 (0.1%)	6 (0.3%)	89 (4.2%)	83.8	34^th of 248 public high schools	86.3%		76.9	33^rd of 240 public high schools	86.3%	1									73.7	75.2	94.4	$14,256	$557	$367	$924	$11,421	$1,911	$13,332
Midlands Middle College	Public, Charter	10-12	1260 Lexington Drive	West Columbia	29170	Lexington County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 822-3333	115	7	17.4	42.5%	68 (59.1%)	25 (21.7%)	15 (13.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.2%)	30.8	176^th of 248 public high schools	29.0%					(n/a)										54.8	72.7	$9,542	$123	$144	$267	$8,185	$1,090	$9,275
Columbia High	Public	9-12	1701 Westchester Drive	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8950	681	54	12.6	100.0%	18 (2.6%)	579 (85.0%)	45 (6.6%)	15 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (3.4%)	21.8	207^th of 248 public high schools	16.5%		12	218^th of 240 public high schools	9.2%	11									36.4	46.8	76.8	$21,575	$1,744	$2,088	$3,832	$14,838	$2,905	$17,743
Airport High	Public	9-12	1315 Boston Avenue	West Columbia	29170	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 822-5600	1,272	73	17.4	85.1%	453 (35.6%)	440 (34.6%)	308 (24.2%)	16 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (4.1%)	35.8	159^th of 248 public high schools	35.9%		34.2	155^th of 240 public high schools	35.4%	4								40.0	72.1	42.1	78.3	$14,078	$558	$957	$1,515	$10,180	$2,383	$12,563
Irmo High	Public, Magnet	9-12	6671 St. Andrews Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 476-5000	1,272	107	11.9	100.0%	297 (23.3%)	732 (57.5%)	100 (7.9%)	47 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	11 (0.9%)	83 (6.5%)	29.3	181^st of 248 public high schools	27.0%		37.6	147^th of 240 public high schools	38.8%	34									38.2	59.4	79.2	$15,789	$746	$450	$1,196	$12,543	$2,050	$14,593
Empowerment and Enrichment Academy	Public	5-12	5000 Broad River Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Dept of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-5777	0	4	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	1.1	246^th of 248 public high schools	0.8%		0.3	240^th of 240 public high schools	0.0%	6			13.8			0.0			20.0		45.5
SCDJJ Evaluation and Detention Center	Public	5-12	5000 Broad River Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Dept of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-7432	417	38	11.1	99.3%	82 (19.7%)	316 (75.8%)	15 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)								(n/a)
The Palmetto Empowerment and Enrichment Academy	Public	5-12	5000 Broad River Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Dept of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-5952	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Brookland-Cayce High	Public	9-12	1300 State Street	Cayce	29033	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 791-5000	1,212	99	12.2	100.0%	310 (25.6%)	392 (32.3%)	405 (33.4%)	48 (4.0%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (4.2%)	31.8	172^nd of 248 public high schools	30.6%		22.8	188^th of 240 public high schools	21.7%	16								31.4	78.5	42.3	76.1	$13,658	$381	$982	$1,363	$9,694	$2,601	$12,295

Frequently Asked Questions about Gray Collegiate Academy

Is Gray Collegiate Academy a good school?

Yes! Gray Collegiate Academy is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 11^th of 248 South Carolina high schools.

What district is Gray Collegiate Academy in?

Charter Institute at Erskine

How many students attend Gray Collegiate Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 935 students attended Gray Collegiate Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Gray Collegiate Academy?

Students at Gray Collegiate Academy are 71% White, 16% African American, 7% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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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.