| State Profile Title | South Carolina Charter School Information |
| List of State's Charter Schools | http://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/ssys/listofcharterschools2.html |
| Header | 06-21-00 |
| Brief Overview | South Carolina's charter school law was passed in 1996 with amendments made during the 2002 legislative session. The amendments increased the length of a charter from three to five years. And school district boards of trustees are the sole authorizers of charters. There are currently 13 schools in operation serving 1,235 students. Two more have been conditionally approved. |
| Schools | South Carolina Department of Education
For a list of Charter Schools in this state, contact the State Department of Education. Contact information appears below. |
| Participants | South Carolina Participants |
| Key Contacts | |
| Legislative Summary | Passed in 1996, South Carolina's charter school legislation suggests no limits on the number of schools or students enrolled. Home schools are the only designated body that cannot operate charter schools. Sponsored by local boards and appealed to state boards, charters are legally independent and waived of most education laws and regulations. Funding for charter schools is comparable with other South Carolina public schools. Charter schools must "meet or exceed" district content standards and implement state assessments. Under the 2002 amendments, charter terms have been increased from three to five years. A state-level Charter School Advisory Committee was established to determine whether charter applications comply with standards established by the State Board of Education. Also, charter schools' populations must now reflect the targeted population in their respective districts.
Link to South Carolina's state charter law. |
