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District

Schools

Alternative Schools

CCSD's Alternative Schools category includes four programs designed to serve students who need something outside the traditional school setting — whether due to behavioral, academic, or disciplinary needs, or a preference for a different educational model:

1. Daniel Jenkins Academy
Located in North Charleston, this has historically served as a key site in the district's alternative education continuum, with programming aimed at middle and high school students who benefit from a more structured or intensive support setting.

2. Liberty Hill Academy
Also based in North Charleston, Liberty Hill works with students who need extra behavioral and academic support, often before they return to their home schools. It's connected to the district's discipline/intervention pipeline, pairing students with counselors and support staff, and includes parent-advocate programming aimed at keeping families engaged in the process.

3. Septima P. Clark Corporate Academy
A high school-level alternative program named for Charleston civil rights and education icon Septima Poinsette Clark, focused on providing students a path to a diploma through a nontraditional structure.

4. Turning Point Academy Located at 1484 Camp Road in Charleston (29412), serving grades 6–12, this is CCSD's countywide alternative program and operates across multiple sites, with hours varying by location. Michael De Jong is the principal. Charleston County School District

 

Shavonna Coakley
 
Dr. Shavonna Coakley
Associate Superintendent of School Support, Community Engagement & Alternative Programs

4720 Jenkins Avenue
North Charleston, SC 29405
(843)745-7150
Email

How students end up in these programs
Per South Carolina Department of Education guidelines that CCSD follows, students land in alternative schools through a few pathways: voluntary referral based on documented academic need, voluntary referral due to habitual disruptive behavior in violation of conduct codes, or placement by the district board as an alternative to suspension or expulsion (or by court order). Districts are required to have clear referral and placement procedures, with due process protections, and must factor in IDEA requirements when a student with disabilities is being considered. The overall goal is described as serving students who, for behavioral or academic reasons, aren't benefiting from the regular school program or may be interfering with others' learning