• Student Transfer

  • Student Transfer Applications will be accepted through the Smart Choice website from March 1, 2022 (8 a.m.) until 11:59 p.m. March 31, 2022. If parents have difficulty completing the online application process or have questions, please contact one of the following offices:

    Constituent Districts 1 & 2 - McClellanville, Awendaw, Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and Sullivan’s Island    

    Stephanie Skinner   (843) 937-6378       Stephanie_Skinner@charleston.k12.sc.us

    Lucy Beckham High School will be adding 12th grade next year. The school is projected to be over its capacity and it is not expected to be accepting any student transfers for the 2022-23 school year.

    Constituent District   3 & 23 - James Island, Folly Beach, Hollywood, Ravenel, Meggett, and Edisto Island          

    Donna Mungin                           (843) 937-6401    Donna_Mungin@charleston.k12.sc.us

    Constituent District 4 - North Charleston 

     Shanikqua Johnson-Smith     (843) 566-1975    shanikqua_smith@charleston.k12.sc.us

     

    Constituent Districts 9 & 10 - Johns Island, Wadmalaw Island, West Ashley               

     Toshiba Champaigne             (843) 937-6425    Toshiba_Champaigne@charleston.k12.sc.us

     

    Constituent District 20 - Downtown

     Lauren Gandy                       (843) 937-6303     Lauren_Gandy@charleston.k12.sc.us       

                                                                                                 

    Each submitted application will be reviewed by the constituent board to determine if the request meets the criteria for a student transfer. 

    Parents are encouraged to clearly state the reason(s) for requesting the transfer in the comment section of the application. The reason(s) for transfer should correspond to reasons stated in Policy JFABC. These are:

    • to attend a career and technology program in another school or constituent district 
    • to attend a school that offers programs not offered at the home school 
    • to attend another school for documented health reasons  
    • to attend a school closer to where a parent/legal guardian works 
    • to attend a school with one or more siblings  
    • to better accommodate before or after school care needs (e.g., extended work hours or work related to travel that necessitates before or after school care of the child)  
    • to attend a school the child previously attended 
    • in instances where the parents/legal guardians are planning to move to another district during the school year, so as to allow the student to attend that school from the beginning of the year 
    • for reasons that advise removing a student from the influence or presence of other students

     Attachments to applications will not be accepted. 

    If the constituent board approves the request, they have verified that it meets the criteria for a transfer and the application will become part of a lottery conducted for admission to a school. If the constituent board rules that the application does not meet the criteria for a transfer, the transfer request will be denied. Parents wishing to appeal the constituent board’s denial may appeal this decision to the county school board within ten days upon receiving notification of the denial. No additional information may be submitted to the county board for consideration during the appeal process. After all applications received by March 31st have been reviewed and appeals have been decided, lotteries for each school will be run using the following priority rankings:

    1. Applications from ALL CCSD employees
    2. Applications to siblings who will be attending the receiving school next year
    3. Applications from within the Constituent District
    4. Applications from other Constituent Districts 
    5. Applications from outside Charleston County (released by the sending district)

    All communication regarding the status of applications will be through email using the address identified in Smart Choice. 

    It is projected that lotteries will be conducted the first week of June for all transfer schools. Notification of status for each application will occur within one week of lotteries being conducted. Parents will be notified by email through the Smart Choice system.

    The lottery will place students on an Accepted List or on a Waiting List.

    Accepted students must register prior to July 1, 2022, or within ten days of receiving notification of acceptance if notified after July 1st.  Failure to do so may result in the transfer approval being revoked and that seat being offered to the next student on the waiting list.

    As seats open at each school, they will be filled from the Waiting List.

    The application process for accepting late transfer requests will be from June 15th- to July 15th. \

    Late transfer requests will follow the same process as stated above. If the constituent board rules the application meets the criteria and is approved the student’s name will be placed at the end of the lottery list unless the student is the child of a current CCSD employee. If the constituent board rules the application does not meet the criteria, the parent will have ten days to appeal this decision to the county school board. If the county school board overrules the constituent board’s decision, the student’s name will be placed at the end of the lottery list.

    Transfer students are generally approved for enrollment through the final grade of the school to which the child has transferred.  For example, if the transfer is into an elementary school, the transfer is usually valid through the highest grade level at that school (generally fifth grade).  If the student was in the second grade for the first year of the transfer, the transfer would be valid through the fifth grade. The school board does reserve the right to send the child back to their zoned school for any reason at any time. Examples of possible revocation of transfer privileges include but are not limited to;

    • The constituent school board rezones the school to which your child has been transferred.
    • The school becomes extremely overcrowded with students living within the school attendance zone.
    • The student exhibits poor regular attendance and/or is not punctual in arriving on campus in the morning and leaving the campus at dismissal.  

    Transitions from elementary to middle and middle-to-high all require new student transfer requests.  Upon completing the highest grade level in the school of transfer, the student’s records will be processed to the appropriate home school based upon the home address on record.  

    Transportation will not be provided by CCSD. All students approved for transfers must provide their own transportation to and from school.

    Special Needs Students

    CCSD has highly specialized instructional programs for students with significant needs in strategic locations throughout the district and provides reasonable accommodations for all students to access instruction and the educational environment.  Children identified as having an IEP or 504 Plan must meet prior to enrollment to consider the educational needs of the student and determine the program required to ensure a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

    High School Athletic Eligibility

    Student transfers may affect athletic eligibility with the South Carolina High School League, which governs high school athletics in South Carolina. If you have specific questions regarding your child’s athletic eligibility being affected, you should contact the high school athletic director of the school you are requesting to transfer to. 

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    School Lookup Tool

    CCSD Policies Pertaining to Student Transfers

    The Charleston County School District and its Board of Trustees provides an online policy manual for public reference.

    Some of the policies that parents may wish to read pertaining to enrollment, student transfers, and school choice include:

    Policy JFAA: Admission of Resident Students
    Policy JFAAA: Assessing Legal Residence and Domicile
    Policy JFAB: Nonresident Students
    Policy JFABC: Student Transfers (in the process of being amended)
    Policy JFABCA: Voluntary Transfers For Children Of CCSD Employees

    The online CCSD policy manual provides links to the S.C. Code of Laws and State Board of Education Regulations for reference within each policy, as appropriate.

    The policy manual contains additional information which may be of interest to families as they navigate the school choice process. Please browse the left sidebar of the policy manual for these additional topics.