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Thornwell Charter School

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12
349th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 640 South Carolina Alternative Schools
Better than 45% of South Carolina alternative schools
Summary

Thornwell Charter School is an alternative public charter school located in Clinton, South Carolina, serving grades K-11 with a total enrollment of 371 students. As part of the Charter Institute at Erskine district, which is ranked 40th out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, Thornwell Charter School faces unique challenges in supporting its student population.

The school has seen fluctuating dropout rates, ranging from 0.9% to 2.4% over the past few years, which are generally higher than the overall Charter Institute at Erskine district. Additionally, Thornwell Charter School has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 8.4% to 24.7% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average. Academically, the school performs better in some subject areas, such as English Language Arts, but struggles in others, particularly Mathematics, with 3rd-8th grade Math proficiency rates significantly lower than the district and state averages.

Despite these challenges, Thornwell Charter School has a 100% free and reduced lunch rate, indicating that the student population comes from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The school's spending per student for the 2023-2024 school year is $10,597, which is higher than the state average, and the student-teacher ratio has been decreasing, from 15.7 in 2021-2022 to 9.4 in 2023-2024, potentially contributing to more personalized attention and support for students. Addressing the areas of concern, such as chronic absenteeism, dropout rates, and academic performance, will be crucial for the Thornwell Charter School to improve and better serve its students.

525
Students ?
11.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,988
Per pupil spending ?
100%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 203 West Calhoun Street
       Clinton, SC  29325

(864) 808-0801

District: Charter Institute at Erskine

Racial breakdown:

White:
65.5%
African American:
21.1%
Two or more races:
6.9%
more
 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Thornwell Charter School to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2021 → 77th in 2025
Strengths
✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the South Carolina average (87%)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2021
✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!U.S. History and the Constitution scores 14 pts below the South Carolina average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school53%
District avg49%
South Carolina avg56%
Elementary school
349th of 640
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 45%▬ steady since 2021
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
73rd of 320
South Carolina public middle schools ?
Top 23%▲ up 10 pts since 2021
From top 32% (2021) to top 23% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 12Alternative Schools in the Charter Institute at Erskine
40th 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
202543.9349 of 64045.5%★★☆☆☆
202459.4256 of 63859.9%★★★☆☆
202341.3376 of 64441.6%★★☆☆☆
202258.0249 of 62560.2%★★★☆☆
202145.0338 of 62245.7%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202554.0266 of 58154.2%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202532.1436 of 61328.9%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202536.2378 of 58635.5%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202530.5349 of 46024.1%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202573.773 of 32077.2%★★★★☆
202463.8103 of 32568.3%★★★☆☆
202356.4121 of 32562.8%★★★☆☆
202270.077 of 31075.2%★★★★☆
202164.5101 of 31167.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202575.461 of 29579.3%★★★★☆
202463.193 of 29468.4%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202568.672 of 30776.5%★★★★☆
202465.176 of 30775.2%★★★★☆
202341.5180 of 31342.5%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202569.083 of 29672.0%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202555.9102 of 25760.3%★★★☆☆
202452.6113 of 25555.7%★★★☆☆
202343.3138 of 26046.9%★★☆☆☆
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
Female (2025)54th percentile+9 vs school
Male (2025)35th percentile-10 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile-17 vs school
White (2025)24th percentile-21 vs school
Middle school
Female (2025)79th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile~ school
Male (2025)72nd percentile-5 vs school
White (2025)60th percentile-17 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?
English 288%~ state avg
Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 267%-7 vs state
English Language Arts62%+3 vs state
English 153%-9 vs state
Science50%~ state avg
U.S. History and the Constitution48%-14 vs state
Mathematics37%-7 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Thornwell Charter School

Students at Thornwell Charter School are 66% White, 21% African American, 7% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 525 students attended Thornwell Charter School.

Thornwell Charter School ranks 349th of 640 South Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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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