Greenwood Charter Academy

Greenwood Charter Academy is a public charter school in Greenwood, SC, serving 432 students in grades PK through 7 under the Charter Institute at Erskine. While the school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.3:1 and spends about $12,667 per student—less than most nearby schools—its academic performance lags significantly behind the surrounding area.

State testing shows that proficiency rates at Greenwood Charter typically fall between 20-55%, while nearby schools in the Greenwood 50 district often reach 60-90%. For example, in 3rd grade math, only 24.1% of Greenwood Charter students scored proficient, compared to 80.4% at Hodges Elementary and 84.3% at Merrywood Elementary. Even Lakeview Elementary, located just 0.66 miles away, achieves 66.7% ELA proficiency and 57.2% math proficiency in 3rd grade, compared to Greenwood Charter's 50% and 24.1% respectively. The school's overall state ranking places it in the bottom quarter of South Carolina elementary schools, with a 1-star rating.

One of the most pressing concerns is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 34.4% for 2024-2025—nearly triple the district average of 11.5% and well above the state rate of 22.3%. This is the highest rate among all nearby schools. Additionally, math proficiency remains a persistent challenge, with 4th grade math at just 22.1% (less than half the state average of 52.3%). The school also shows a dramatic decline in upper grades, with 7th grade math proficiency dropping to just 6.1% in 2024-2025 before recovering to 30.8% in 2025-2026. On a positive note, 4th grade science proficiency (42.4%) is close to the district average (43.2%), suggesting some areas of relative strength. While the school's ranking has remained stable over two years, the combination of low academic achievement, high absenteeism, and a significant gap with neighboring schools suggests that families should carefully consider these factors when evaluating educational options.