Summary:

South Carolina offers families limited school choice options. The state does not support private school choice. But it does allow for some choice within the public education system.

Public School Choice:

The Education Commission of the States reports that South Carolina has implemented two open enrollment policies to facilitate voluntary, inter-district school transfers. The Center for Education Reform reports that South Carolina has an average charter school law. In all, approximately 9,700 students attended one of the state's 44 public charter schools in 2007-08.

Online Learning:

South Carolina offers a state-led online program, several statewide programs, and virtual charter schools. According to the Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning report, the South Carolina Virtual School Program, which serves as the state’s state-led program, had 7,389 supplemental course registrations in 2007-2008. As of the fall of 2008, three virtual charter schools began serving students in South Carolina – South Carolina Virtual Charter School (SCVCS), South Carolina Connections Academy (SCCA), and Insight School of South Carolina.

Recent Developments:

A bill to phase-in statewide open-enrollment within the public school system was vetoed by Republican Governor Mark Sanford, who claimed the bill's passage "would represent a step backwards in the education reform movement in that it would create the illusion of reform where none would actually exist." According to the South Carolinians for Responsible Government, Governor Sanford advocated for private school choice legislation that would have provided parents with a scholarship or a tax credit to attend the school of their choice. Sanford's proposal failed to pass in either the House or Senate.

Click here for detailed information on South Carolina's public school system and see below for school choice contacts in South Carolina.