Virtus Academy of South Carolina

Virtus Academy of South Carolina is an alternative public charter school in Florence, SC, serving 756 students in grades K-11, where nearly all students (99.56%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school maintains a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio.

This school presents a mixed picture for parents to consider. The standout strength is English 2, where students achieved an 89.74% proficiency rate in 2024-2025, beating both the district (83.95%) and state (86.41%). English Language Arts performance is generally competitive with state averages across grade levels. However, mathematics tells a different story. Math proficiency has declined steadily across most grades—for example, 3rd-grade math fell from 58.2% to 31.9% in just one year, and 8th-grade math sits at just 13%. Algebra 1 scores also swing dramatically year to year, ranging from 26% to 47% proficiency. This volatility suggests that small class sizes and specific cohorts can significantly impact results, making it hard to predict outcomes from one year to the next.

The biggest challenge facing the school is chronic absenteeism. More than 26% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025—more than double the district rate of 11.5% and higher than the state's 22.3%. This persistent issue, combined with the school's high poverty rate, likely explains much of the academic inconsistency. On a positive note, per-student spending jumped from $8,005 to $12,061, showing a significant investment in resources. The school operates under the Charter Institute at Erskine, which holds a 3-star rating. While Virtus Academy shows real strengths in literacy and some grade levels outperform district averages, parents should be aware of the math decline and attendance challenges when evaluating this school.