New Charleston Area Public Charter School Shows Strong Results Just 1 Month After Opening; Open House Thursday, Sept. 30

Charleston, SC – Sept. 21, 2021 – As schools across South Carolina struggle with helping students regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a new public charter high school in North Charleston is reporting strong student engagement a month after opening.

“Many of our students struggled in, or had dropped out of, traditional schools,” said Dr. Jacinta Bryant, Director of Lowcountry Acceleration Academy. “But they have hit the ground running here — and it’s so exciting to see them begin the school year with early success.”

Research has shown that student progress suffered when the pandemic closed school buildings and forced an abrupt shift to full- or part-time remote learning in 2020-21. According to the federal Department of Education, those losses were particularly steep for students of color, LGBTQ students and those from economically disadvantaged communities — all groups that Lowcountry Acceleration Academy serves with a personalized approach rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum. While students do their coursework online, they have intensive one-on-one coaching on the academy campus and via Zoom and phone conferences.

Mariah and Makyia Aiken are twin sisters who lost ground not only due to the pandemic, but also to a tropical storm destroying their family home on John’s Island. Thanks to a curriculum that has them focus on one course at a time, they completed their first course — geometry — in 3 weeks. “Instead of us having to take it for a full semester, at Acceleration Academy we were able to do it in three weeks,” said Mariah. “Now I can go on to my next class and be one step closer to getting my diploma.” 

Like all public schools, Lowcountry Acceleration Academy provides a high school education at no cost to students and their families. It is located at 5935 Rivers Ave. in North Charleston.   

The media are invited to attend our open houses on Thursday, Sept. 30. From 9-11 a.m. that day we will welcome community leaders and members of the media. There will be an additional open house for prospective students, their families and other interested community members from 4-7 p.m. that day. Please RSVP to: http://evite.me/rd4EM79B37