Charleston County School of the Arts, 5109-B W. Enterprise St.: 1,102 students in 2024-25, rated Excellent on the state report card.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, administration page and audition requirements; Charleston County School District’s application windows, 2026-27 academic calendar and bell schedule; the S.C. Department of Education’s 2024-25 report card data files; the federal NCES school directory; the South Carolina High School League’s 2026-28 reclassification.

The Charleston County School of the Arts is a Charleston County School District arts magnet school for sixth through 12th grade on West Enterprise Street, sharing a campus with Academic Magnet High. It has no attendance zone: students apply and audition. On South Carolina’s 2024-25 report card it was rated Excellent for both its high school grades, with 90 points, and its middle grades, with 78 points.

Who to call
Address 5109-B W. Enterprise St., North Charleston, SC 29405
Phone 843-529-4990
Grades 6 to 12
District Charleston County School District
School hours 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
State school ID 1001098

Principal

Principal Shannon Cook, according to the school’s administration page. The assistant principals are Andrea Derrickson, Robert Grant, Billy Grauer and, for the middle school, Laura Smith.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: 1,102 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to the state’s report card data.
  • Federal count: 1,069 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 68 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 16 students per teacher.

State report card

South Carolina rates every public school each year as Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average or Unsatisfactory. An Excellent rating means “school performance substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the SC Graduate,” according to the state’s report card site. The overall rating is built from indicators such as academic achievement, preparing for success, student progress, English learners’ progress and school climate, with graduation rate and college and career readiness added for high schools.

2024-25 rating for high school grades: Excellent, 90 points. On the state’s high school scale, Excellent 67 to 100, Good 60 to 66, Average 51 to 59, Below Average 40 to 50 and Unsatisfactory 39 and below.

Indicator 2024-25 rating
Academic achievement Excellent
Preparing for success Excellent
Graduation rate Excellent
College and career readiness Excellent
School climate Excellent
  • Four-year graduation rate: 99.3% in 2025, after 99.2% in 2024 and 99.3% in 2023 (district: 90.6% in 2025)
  • College or career ready: 100% of the 2025 graduating class (district: 84.8%)
  • End-of-course tests, share scoring A, B or C: English 96.2%, Algebra 90.7%, Biology 78% and U.S. History 75.7%
  • AP and dual enrollment: 68.6% of the 2025 graduating class met the state’s college-ready mark through AP exams and 21.4% through dual-enrollment courses

2024-25 rating for middle grades: Excellent, 78 points. On the state’s middle school scale, Excellent 56 to 100, Good 48 to 55, Average 36 to 47, Below Average 29 to 35 and Unsatisfactory 28 and below.

Indicator 2024-25 rating
Academic achievement Excellent
Preparing for success Excellent
Student progress Excellent
School climate Excellent

On the spring 2025 SC READY tests in grades 6 to 8, 93.6% of students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts and 84.3% in math; on the state science test, 80.7% did, according to the state’s report card data. Across the district, in grades 3 to 8, the figures were 67.6% in English, 56.2% in math and 57.2% in science.

The full report card, with test results by group, teacher data, school safety and spending, is on the state’s SC School Report Cards site. The state publishes new ratings each fall.

Admission and zone

School of the Arts has no attendance zone; students are admitted by application and audition. The school posts its audition requirements and an application and audition FAQ. For 2026-27, the district’s School Choice window for grades PK3 to 12 ran Jan. 7 to Feb. 12, 2026, according to its application windows page.

Calendar and school hours

School of the Arts follows Charleston County School District’s 2026-27 calendar. Coming dates from the academic calendar (PDF):

  • Tuesday, Oct. 13: first day of the second quarter
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day, schools closed
  • Nov. 23-24: no school; both are weather make-up days if the district needs them
  • Nov. 25-27: fall break
  • Friday, Dec. 18: half day
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5

School hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with arrival from 8:05 a.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule (PDF). Early-release days end at 1:30 p.m. and half days at 11:45 a.m.

Programs

The school’s fine arts programs, as it lists them, are creative writing, dance, fashion design, instrumental band, piano, string orchestra, theater, visual art and vocal. The school is a member of the Arts Schools Network, according to its website.

School of the Arts is not listed as a member school in the South Carolina High School League’s 2026-28 classification.

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Frequently asked questions

What grades does School of the Arts serve?

School of the Arts serves sixth grade through 12th grade, according to the state’s 2024-25 report card.

What is School of the Arts’ school rating?

School of the Arts was rated Excellent, with 90 points for high school grades and Excellent, with 78 points for middle grades, on South Carolina’s 2024-25 school report card, the latest the state has published.

How do you get into the Charleston County School of the Arts?

Students apply and audition through Charleston County School District’s School Choice program; the school has no attendance zone. For 2026-27 the choice window ran Jan. 7 to Feb. 12, 2026.

What time does School of the Arts start?

Classes run 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with arrival from 8:05 a.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell schedule.