And it’s right here in the Palmetto State.

The South Carolina Public Charter School District, which gets no local funding, spends about $3,500 per student – less than half the median district funding level in the state, and, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the lowest of any district in the nation that has more than one school.

Yet demand for virtual school programs has continued to grow ever since the charter school district opened its first schools two years ago.

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It’s a sentiment shared by those who run the school.

“We remove the barrier of time,” explained Provost Academy’s Executive Director Darrell Johnson.

He says may students who need the non-traditional setting find it a better fit.

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The Rev. Kenny Davis, headmaster, said about 55 students from 35 states and four countries are enrolled in The Oaks Virtual Academy, a diploma-granting online middle and high school.

About a dozen of those students are local, he said.

The Oaks is opening this year after another online school based on Hilton Head closed. St. Mark’s Academy opened last fall and served students for one year.

The two academies are separate, but Davis said many of the students enrolled at The Oaks attended St. Mark’s last year. Davis, who worked at St. Mark’s before forming The Oaks, said families were unhappy with the school’s leadership.

For the rest of the article, go to Hilton Head students to join international virtual school

The grant will pay for four wireless virtual learning portals and a laptop loaner program that provides broadband access for students who do not have Internet access at home.

“The Berkeley County Middle College was selected for a grant because this concept is an evidence-based model that has proven to be very effective on a national level in helping to move at-risk students forward in their educational careers,” said John Lane, administrator for the grant program at the S.C. Department of Education. “This model has been proven to help provide a seamless transition to college for underserved students, as it gives them the tools they need and prepares them for the rigors of college coursework.”

For the rest of the article, go to New Berkeley County high school program offers college credit

Sumter High School has been using virtual classes since 2001, when the school started its own program with three courses, said Principal Rutledge Dingle. He said Sumter High was one of the first high schools in the state to use such an approach.

But when the state Department of Education developed its own program, South Carolina Virtual School Program, Dingle said Sumter High switched to that because it was more cost-effective and could offer more options for students.

For the rest of the article, go to State’s online classes popular for SHS students



Provost Academy South Carolina continues to enroll students in its free, online public high school through a series of open house events across the state. Provost Academy officials announced they will be in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday to speak to prospective students across the Grand Strand.

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Provost Academy South Carolina is a state-authorized public online school that is free of charge to residents of South Carolina, and offers high school students the public school choice of an engaging, adaptable and quality online learning experience. Students work toward their regular public high school diploma – recognized by colleges and employers – as they would in a traditional school, but in the convenient, safe environment of their own home through computer-based educational programs.

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During the event, Provost Academy South Carolina advisors and administrators will be on hand to meet with parents and students and provide information about this innovative education choice now available to all residents of South Carolina.

Parents and prospective students will also have the opportunity to experience the virtual classroom, visit the parent ambassador booth, win prizes and enroll for the fall semester.

For the rest of the article, go to Online high school to host Open House in Myrtle Beach

Not all students will excel with a liberal arts education, just as not all will succeed with a technical education.

Then there are nontraditional students — people who further their education while holding down a full-time job and often tend to a family of their own at the same time.

A student is expected to choose the option that suits him or her best, weighing factors like their interests and talents along with efficiency and cost.

As times change and technological advances are made, more options become available — and not just to students pursuing graduate studies. Some South Carolina high school students today are taking advantage of online classes provided through Provost Academy, Palmetto State e-Cademy, South Carolina Virtual Charter School and Olympus High School, which is is academically affiliated with University of Phoenix, to name a few.

According to Edu-Center.org, an online directory of information on education, online learning and correspondence courses, online high schools were created to address the needs of school children who, for some reason, are not able to participate in the traditional school system. An online high school is an educational institution accredited by the state wherein teaching and learning happens mostly online and courses are normally self-paced by the student.

For the rest of the article, go to EDITORIAL: Online learning a method some Pee Dee students using to their advantage