SC private school enrollment jumped last year. Here’s why the growth may continue
Student enrollment at South Carolina’s private K-12 schools grew by nearly a third during the 2022-23 school year. With South Carolina’s new school choice program for lower income families, the growth may continue.
Last year, 49,016 South Carolina students attended private schools, nearly 12,000 more than the previous year, according to the state Department of Education. That’s a 31% increase.
The growth was out of the ordinary. Private school enrollment previously fluctuated up and down by several thousand students in the years leading up to the 2021-22 school year.
Spencer Jordan, executive director of the South Carolina Independent School Association, said he had noticed incremental growth, but it became more significant right before the pandemic.
“Independent schools, by nature, offer a different curriculum,” Jordan said. “Maybe it’s a different environment, whether religious or secular. ... Parents want to put their child in a situation that is best for their academic needs.”
But, Jordan said, the upswing in private school enrollment isn’t a commentary on the state of South Carolina’s public schools.
“It doesn’t mean that the public school situation isn’t good, it just means parents want something different,” Jordan said.
For some families, private schools became an option when COVID-19 disrupted schools in 2020, said state Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort. It was a catalyst that made parents realize what these schools had to offer.
“I think we’re seeing the number shift to all types of alternative education models,” Erickson, a school choice advocate, said.
Parents switch their children from public to private schools for many reasons, Erickson said. Some find financial aid while others are awarded community scholarships. Some parents need a school closer to their homes or places of work. Others find different opportunities for sports, electives and apprenticeships.
“It’s more parents thinking about different ways of learning,” Erickson said. “South Carolina has a very rich, robust independent school situation.”
And when some schools posted disappointing test scores, parents wanted to bolster their kids’ learning in a different environment, Erickson said.
Private school enrollment numbers for the current academic year have yet to be finalized. But it could see a boost when a limited school voucher program begins next year.
After a decades-long fight to bring private school choice to South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster — a longtime supporter of private school choice — signed new legislation in May to provide low-income families with discretionary money to spend on education-related costs.
Beginning in fall 2024, the state’s new Education Scholarship Trust Fund will offer qualifying families $6,000 vouchers to use at private schools, public schools outside of their districts and for other educational expenses, like tuition, tutoring or transportation. It’s limited only to students who previously attended public school or who are entering kindergarten.
According to the legislation, the program will start small. The state government will offer vouchers to 5,000 students with a family income of $60,000 or less, a $30 million investment that does not include start-up costs.
The program will expand to up to 15,000 students in 2026.
In 2027, the General Assembly will have to review the program and make recommendations for improvement.
Research shows that with school choice comes new private schools, according to previous reporting by The State. It could mean South Carolina might see an influx of the schools, though experts say the quality of the new schools might be questionable.
Proponents of school choice say that these kinds of programs allow families to choose educational options that are the “best fit” for their children. The option has been characterized as a lifeline for children trapped in failing public schools. But critics say they hurt public schools, steal the brightest students and pinch state resources.
An analysis by The State found that neither claim was supported by existing data.
Most private school choice programs are created to serve poor or disabled children, but research shows they don’t always reach those groups, and cost, transportation challenges and simple lack of local private schools create barriers. And experts say voucher programs usually don’t hurt under-resourced public schools.
My SC Education and the Palmetto Promise Institute, school choice advocacy groups, did not respond to requests for comment.
Greenville (7,866), Charleston (6,864) and Richland (4,783) counties, the most populous in the state, had the most students attending private schools. But two districts in the Midlands saw a sharp rise in enrollment over the last year. In Lexington County, it increased by 306% to 1,194 students. In Kershaw County, it grew by 251% to 373 students.
The numbers don’t include enrollment in charter schools, which are publicly funded.
The most recent available private school enrollment numbers, per the state education department:
▪ 2021-2022: 37,258
▪ 2020-2021: 33,492
▪ 2019-2020: 36,703
▪ 2018-2019: 30,549
▪ 2017-2018: 34,281
▪ 2016-2017: 28,422
