General Information

According to S.C. Code Ann. 59-40-10 (supp.2011 and as amended by H.3241), the term 'Sponsor' means the South Carolina Public Charter School District Board of Trustees, the local school board of trustees in which the charter school is to be located, as provided by law, a public institution of higher learning as defined in Section 59-103-5, or an independent institution of higher learning as defined in Section 59-113-50, from which the charter school applicant requested its charter and which granted approval for the charter school’s existence.

The sponsor of a charter school is the charter school’s Local Education Agency (LEA) and a charter school is a school within that LEA. The sponsor retains responsibility for special education and shall ensure that students enrolled in its charter schools are served in a manner consistent with LEA obligations under applicable federal, state, and local law.

Only those public or independent institutions of higher learning, as defined in this subsection, who register with the South Carolina Department of Education may serve as charter school sponsors. The SCDE shall maintain a directory of those institutions.

The sponsor is also referred to as the charter authorizer.

South Carolina Charter School Sponsors

• Anderson School District 5
• Beaufort County School District
• Charleston County School District
• Charter Institute at Erskine
• Chester County School District
• Georgetown County School District
• Horry County School District
• Lancaster County School District
• Richland School District 2
• Rock Hill School District
• Limestone Charter Association 
• South Carolina Public Charter School District
• Voorhees University Charter Institute of Learning

Prospective IHE Charter School Sponsors

The South Carolina Department of Education Charter School Program is currently accepting registration forms for institutions of higher education that would like to be listed as statewide charter school authorizers. Newly registering institution of higher education authorizers would be listed in a time effective for the 2027 charter school application window. Registering institutions will be able to complete the required Ready to Authorize process and the South Carolina Department of Education would be able to conduct administrative processes in the areas of finance, accountability, human resources, legal, and other areas necessary for a newly registered institution of higher education to be able to participate in the 2027 Charter School Application window.

Institutions of Higher Learning that wish to register as charter school sponsors should contact the following email for the registration document:  charterschools@ed.sc.gov