Charleston, SC Education Facts

The Charleston SC metropolitan area offers dynamic public education choices for students and parents,

including neighborhood schools, charter schools, specialized programs ranging from prekindergarten

to alternative and special needs, district-wide magnet programs, as well as partial magnet

or constituent magnet options at many schools.

There are four public school districts serving approximately 94,000 students in the Charleston Region.

Berkeley County, Charleston County, Dorchester II and Dorchester IV collectively operate 139 schools

serving grades PK-12 in the Charleston metropolitan area.

Berkeley Charleston Dorchester II Dorchester IV

County County

Student Population 28,360 42,215 21,201 2,291

Number of Public Schools 35 80 19 5

Number of Magnet Schools 3 25 0 0

Number of Charter Schools 0 7 0 0

Dollars Spent Per Pupil $7,868 $9,413 $7,206 $10,840

Education Level of Teachers:

% of teachers with advanced degrees 58.3% 56.3% 52.5% 62.2%

Teachers returning from previous year 88.3% 86.9% 85.9% 83.5%

Pupil/Teacher Ratio 20.9 to 1 19.3 to 1 21.3 to 1 18.5 to 1

Average Teacher Salary $46,776 $45,828 $46,017 $48,075

Average SAT Scores:

District (State of SC = 978; US = 1006) 989 979 1004 858

% of Seniors taking the test 30% 62% 45% 13%

Annual # Diplomas 1,426 1,769 982 100

Annual Drop-out Rate 5.4% 3.4% 3.1% 2.9%

(computed as a percentage of total enrollment of grades 9-12)

% of Grads Entering Post-Secondary

Education 69.4% 70.3% 66.0% 85.5%

% of Grads Entering

Workforce/Military/Other 30.6% 29.7% 34.0% 14.5%

There are also about 65 private and parochial schools in the region with an enrollment of

approximately 10,000 students. These independent schools add to the plethora of area education

choices through unique opportunities such as study-abroad programs and an Orton-Gillingham accredited

school specializing in K-12 education for children with dyslexia, ADHD/ADD and other

learning differences.

Sources: South Carolina Department of Education, www.ed.sc.gov; and district and school websites.

5/2010