Each school-aged child in Charleston County is assigned to a neighborhood school based on grade level and home address. In addition, CCSD offers specialized programs, magnets, and charter schools to which students can apply

Visit our Choice Schools page for a list of CCSD’s choice schools.

It is important to explore the options offered by your neighborhood schools as a first step, before submitting an application to one or more choice schools. Likewise, it is critical to understand the focus or theme of the choice school and how that focus is implemented. Consider the limitations of transportation provided and grade levels served for each choice school.

Yes, many schools are currently offering virtual tours and virtual open house opportunities. Please visit the websites of the schools that interest you to access information, dates and times, and to learn how to schedule tours.

Once approved, a student no longer needs to re-apply each year for that school and program. The student may remain enrolled until completing the grades offered at that school. Please Note: If a Constituent District rezoning causes a student to be assigned to another “home school”, he/she must then apply to remain at the partial magnet school he/she had been attending. 

A virtual Choice Fair will be held on January 28, 2023, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. All choice schools will be sharing information about their schools and providing parents an opportunity to virtually meet the principal and ask questions. To attend, you must register. Please see our CCSD School Choice website for the registration form and other choice fair information. Spanish assistance will be available upon request at the Choice Fair sites

All students residing in Charleston County are eligible to apply. Out-of-county residents can apply, but if accepted, pursuant to Policy JFAB, must meet property ownership requirements in Charleston County and pay tuition if not relocated to the county. Residency verification is due by June 30, 2023. It is required that property within Charleston County is owned in the student’s name with a tax assessed value of $300.00 or more and tuition is charged. The tuition is paid each year the student attends the school. Families not currently living in Charleston County but with intent to move to Charleston County may apply during the application window. Once accepted students must provide proof of Charleston County residency by June 30, 2023. 

The School Choice application will collect information regarding siblings of currently attending students at choice schools. This information will be verified by the school and, when applicable, be prioritized within the lottery process. Countywide admissions criteria magnets do not have sibling priorities. (However, Buist Academy does maintain a sibling waiting list that does not roll over from year to year and is capped at 150 students like other magnet schools.) All other Choice schools give priority to siblings as space is available. Families must submit applications for all siblings wishing to attend the Choice school.

Active military members may apply during the designated application window. If you arrive in Charleston and/or receive orders for Charleston after the application window closes you may still apply by using the Military Family application posted on the CCSD website. After the application window has closed, your application will be subject to choice school seat availability and admissions criteria. Admissions criteria are applicable for Academic Magnet HS, Burke AP Academy, Buist Academy, and Charleston County School of the Arts

View the one-pager and criteria document for each school you’re interested in, posted on the School Choice website: https://www.ccsdschools.com/schoolchoice 

The online application is easy to complete and can be accessed from the CCSD website. For assistance, call the CCSD School Choice Office (843) 937-6582 or the school to which you are applying, or attend an Application Assistance session. All applicants will receive an immediate email confirmation after an online application is submitted.

Charleston Development Academy and Pattison’s Academy. Please visit their websites to learn more about their individual application processes. Note that the application timeline for these schools may not be the same as the CCSD application timeline. 

Interested students and parents/guardians should consider attending the a Parent Assistance Night, or the virtual Choice Fair for the school(s) of interest, or the general School Choice virtual session. See the School Choice website for information on the virtual fair or Parent Assistance nights. You can call the CCSD School Choice Office at (843) 937-6582, or contact your current school counselor for additional assistance. Incomplete applications cannot be processed until all information is received before the application window closes.

If you have a student already attending a CCSD school, you can access your student's ID number by signing in to Parent Portal. This also provides access to your student's grades, attendance, and discipline. You will be asked for the student ID number at the beginning of the application process. If you don’t have a Parent Portal account, you will  need to reach out to your student's school to get your login credentials.

There is no rank ordering in the application. The order in which you select your preferred five choices does not have any bearing on the application or potential lottery.  

Online applications are not completed, submitted, and eligible for acceptance until all the required fields (marked with a red * in your online application) have been completed and you click on the “Submit My Application” button on the final step of the application. You will receive an email confirming that your application was submitted as well as a message on the screen. Receipt of this confirmation email is the final step in the CCSD School Choice application process

All applications submitted during the designated application window will receive equal consideration regardless of the date they are submitted or the method of application.  All paper applicants will receive a confirmation email (up to a 7-Day delay) after the paper application is submitted. These additional days are needed for the applicant’s information to be manually transferred into the online system by a trained CCSD employee. Entering all applications in the same system will ensure students have an equitable opportunity for consideration in the general lottery process. Once the application is entered, applicants should receive an automatic email. Paper applications must be turned in by the deadline of 5pm, February 24, 2023 at the CCSD District School Choice Office - 75 Calhoun Street Charleston, SC 29401

You may request one from the School Choice office at (843) 937-6582 and it will be mailed to the parent/guardian.

If your student was NOT offered a seat but received a number in the lottery that is 150 or less, and is on a waiting list at a school, your student will remain on the waiting list unless they accept a seat at another CCSD magnet school. The online application system’s dashboard allows families to see their placement on waiting lists. Waiting lists for all magnet schools will be capped at 150 students each. All waiting lists will remain in effect for the 2023-24 school year (with the exception of Academic Magnet High School where the waiting list will be considered only until 10 days after the school year starts) They do not roll over from year-to-year; a new application must be submitted each year.

Applications completed and submitted are first reviewed by school administrators and determined if eligible for lottery. The lottery category depends on the choice school and may include any of the following formats:

• Fully randomized

• Used for placement based on audition or rubric results

• Randomized based on admissions priorities

The results of a lottery run is an Accepted List and a Waiting List per grade for each choice school and based on the number of seats available per grade. All lotteries are run at the district office level using the application platform and results are disbursed to parents through that system by way of email and the parent dashboard.  

What is the process for accepting or declining a seat at a choice school?

Notifications of acceptance will be sent to the email address used when submitting the application. Applicants are only able to accept one (1) seat offer. Students cannot accept seat offers from multiple schools. In accepting a seat, applicants are confirming their decision regarding school choice for the 2023-24 school year and relinquishing all other seat offers from magnet schools included in their application. Your position on the waiting list of any other schools that you applied for will be released upon accepting a seat.

Transportation provided as the charter directs. Please visit each charter school’s website for additional information. 

Transportation for James Island Charter High School

Per South Carolina Code of Laws and the James Island Charter High School By-Laws, James Island Charter High School is only required to transport students who are assigned to Attendance Zone 3, which is James Island and Folly Beach. Transportation for open enrollment students is the responsibility of the parents or guardians. However, as seating and funding are available, open enrollment students may have access to Magnet Bus Transportation based on a first come first served basis giving preference to students’ grade level. There is a fee for this service. Please complete the Choice Bus Application Form via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeA9wY9zEGo-FpQbnv4a8Kh6EPQUgn0hsD9BES2wZaWeCAnQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Transportation for Orange Grove Charter

Transportation is provided for students who live in the school's original attendance zone. A map of the original zone and the current bus stops are listed on the school website at www.orangegrovecharter.com.

Transportation for East Cooper Montessori Charter

Transportation is not provided for students attending East Cooper Montessori Charter School.

Transportation for Carolina Voyager Charter

Transportation to and from Carolina Voyager is the responsibility of our parents. We regret that we are not able to provide bus transportation.

Transportation for Allegro Charter

Transportation is not provided for students attending Allegro Charter School.

Transportation for Greg Mathis Charter HS

Transportation to Greg Mathis Charter HS is arranged by the school. Please contact the school for more information.