From staff reports
Beaufort County School District (BCSD) will begin accepting school choice applications for the 2024-25 academic year, the 10th year of the district’s expanded choice initiative, beginning on Friday, March 1. School choice applications will be open on the district’s website and must be submitted online by Sunday, March, 31 at 5 p.m.
Parents and guardians who don’t have internet access may request application assistance at any district school.
Curriculum options approved by the Board of Education include such instructional choices as Montessori; advanced math, engineering, and science (AMES); International Baccalaureate; arts integration; language immersion; Cambridge Academy; Early College; MedTech 7; Medical and Technology pathways; and leadership programs. New options for this year include Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) at Beaufort Middle School, as well as extended dual enrollment opportunities for eligible high school students through Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) and the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB). To learn about the district’s school choice program offerings please see the BCSD School Choice website page (https://bit.ly/3L46mMZ) where a complete Guide to School Programs booklet can be viewed.
Choice schools serve children who live in their attendance zones in addition to students from outside the zone who apply to attend. Beaufort County students who attend choice programs do not pay extra tuition, although families are responsible for their students’ transportation if they live outside of school attendance zones.
This year, there are even more opportunities for students and families to choose from with the opening of academic school program pathways that were previously limited to individuals residing in-zone. There are only two schools that are at or above capacity and do not have availability for students outside the attendance zone to apply for school choice, H.E. McCracken Middle School and Pritchardville Elementary School.
A lottery will be held if the number of choice applications at a school would cause the school to exceed its overall enrollment capacity, or if approved applications would push an individual choice program beyond its capacity.
All district schools maintain a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics focus, as well as a core curriculum that includes the arts, world languages, and technology.
For more information about school choice programs, please see https://bit.ly/3L46mMZ. Please contact the school associated with each program(s) directly for more information.
