The South Carolina Preparatory Academy is a public charter high school serving grades 6-12 in Anderson, South Carolina, with a student population of 422. While part of the Charter Institute at Erskine district, which is ranked 34 out of 75 districts in the state, the school has consistently underperformed compared to state and district averages on standardized tests.
In the 2023-2024 school year, only 24.31% of students at The South Carolina Preparatory Academy were proficient or better in Algebra 1/Mathematics, compared to 55.95% in the district and 72.5% statewide. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, ranking 191 out of 194 high schools in the state for African American students and 196 out of 196 for White students in Algebra 1/Mathematics. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch has increased significantly, from 32.89% in 2021-2022 to 54.98% in 2022-2023, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students.
The South Carolina Preparatory Academy's academic performance lags significantly behind nearby traditional public high schools, such as Crescent High, Wren High, Palmetto High, Belton Honea Path High, and Pendleton High, which all have higher academic achievement, better student subgroup performance, and lower free and reduced lunch rates. The school's statewide ranking has also dropped from 217 out of 237 high schools in 2022-2023 to 229 out of 235 in 2023-2024, indicating a concerning trend of declining academic performance.
The South Carolina Preparatory Academy ranks in the bottom 2.6% of South Carolina high schools.
Students at The South Carolina Preparatory Academy are 64% White, 26% African American, 7% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.
Charter Institute at Erskine
In the 2022-23 school year, 422 students attended The South Carolina Preparatory Academy.