Educational attainment in greater Charleston is higher than in the United States overall. In fact, Charleston ranks among the top 15% of all U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas in terms of the proportion of residents holding advanced degrees.

2008 Educational Attainment / % of Population 25+

	Charleston MSA	South Carolina	United States
High school diploma or equivalent or higher	87.5%	83.2%	85.0%
Hold a bachelors degree or higher	28.7%	23.0%	27.7%
Hold an advanced degree	11.1%	8.5%	10.2%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey, 10/2009

In 2008, South Carolina was a top-five state in terms of teachers earning National Board certification. Charleston and Berkeley counties were among the state’s leading counties for new board certifications.

Charleston area residents enjoy diverse options in K-12 education, including:

• Four public school districts
• A growing number of charter schools
• 65 private schools
• A number of public magnet schools, including Charleston County's Academic Magnet High School, rated among the nation's top ten schools by Newsweek
• South Carolina's Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities or the Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, ranked among the best academic secondary schools in the nation

For additional information on area public and private schools, visit the South Carolina Department of Education. To learn more about local public school initiatives, visit The Education Foundation.

Charleston S.C. MSA Public School District Statistics

	Berkeley County	Charleston County	Dorchester County II	Dorchester County IV
Enrollment	28,360	42,215	21,201	2,291
Number of Elementary/Middle Schools	28	67	17	4
Number of High Schools	7	13	2	1
Number of Annual Graduates	1,426	1,769	982	100
% of Grads Entering Post-Secondary Education	69.4%	70.3%	66.0%	85.5%
% of Grads Entering Workforce/Military/Other	30.6%	29.7%	34.0%	14.5%
Per Pupil Expenditures	$7,868	$9,413	$7,206	$10,840
Pupil to Teacher Ratio	20.9 to 1	19.3 to 1	21.3 to 1	18.5 to 1
Average SAT Score	989	979	1,004	858
% of Seniors Taking Test	30%	62%	45%	13%
Source: S.C. Department of Education, 9/2009

International Education

• With an increasing population of non-English speaking students, area schools have developed programs to help foreign-born children assimilate quickly. Many also offer programs to help these children continue to learn their native language and culture.
• Pinewood Preparatory School offers a number of programs specifically designed for its growing European student population, ranging from kindergarten through grade 12.
• Special weekend schools offering classes in language and culture have been created by the local Chinese community, which currently numbers about 3,000 residents. Programs are also available to assist non-English speaking students in their efforts to learn the English language.

Beyond K-12, more than two dozen college and university campuses provide easy access to a full spectrum of higher education opportunities, from chemical engineering to the culinary arts. Colleges in the region are regularly ranked among the nation's best by Peterson's, U.S News & World Report and other respected guides.

Charleston S.C. MSA Colleges & Universities

College/University	Fall 2009 Enrollment
American College of the Building Arts	60
Art Institute of Charleston	700
Centura College	156
Charleston School of Law	521
Charleston Southern University	3,236
The Citadel	3,339
Clemson Architecture Center	22
Clemson University Restoration Institute	NA
College of Charleston/University of Charleston	11,772
ECPI College of Technology	300
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University	425
Limestone College	120
Lowcountry Graduate Center	510
Medical University of South Carolina	2,514
Miller-Motte Technical College	667
Park University	200
Southern Illinois University	268
Southern Wesleyan University	250
Springfield College	120
Strayer University	NA
Thomas Edison State College	765
Trident Technical College	14,834
Troy University	117
Virginia College	500
Voorhees College	30
Webster University	480

Additional Major Colleges & Universities within South Carolina

Research Universities	Fall 2009 Enrollment
University of South Carolina, Columbia SC	25,077
Clemson University, Clemson SC	17,367
Other Public Colleges/Universities
Coastal Carolina University	7,609
Francis Marion University	3,358
Lander University	2,377
South Carolina State University	4,358
University of South Carolina, Aiken	2,730
University of South Carolina, Beaufort	1,193
University of South Carolina, Upstate	4,546
Winthrop University	5,363
Private Colleges/Universities
Anderson University	2,064
Bob Jones University	4,141
Claflin University	1,773
Columbia College	1,445
Columbia International University	923
Converse College	2,068
Erskine College	864
Furman University	2,977
North Greenville University	2,160
Presbyterian College	1,177
South University	1,038
Wofford College	1,429
The above institutions offer graduate level degrees or higher in addition to undergraduate degrees. Source: Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the S.C. Commission on Higher Education, 12/2009

Proximity to University Research

The Charleston region is within reasonable proximity to several top-tier research universities, including those in Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (RTP). The state of South Carolina is also home to three universities with highly respected, growing research programs:

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Charleston, S.C.
Research funding fiscal 2009: $217 million

Clemson University Clemson, S.C.
Research funding fiscal 2009: $141 million

University of South Carolina Columbia, S.C.
Research funding fiscal 2009: $210.3 million

South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence

The state's three public research institutions (Clemson, MUSC and USC) may use state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) in research areas that will advance South Carolina's economy. The program supports CoEE endowed chairs, world-renowned scientists who lead the Centers of Economic Excellence. These centers currently range from regenerative medicine and proteomics to advanced materials and urban ecology.
For more information, please visit www.sccoee.org.