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.

2011 Educational Attainment / % of Population 25+

	Charleston MSA	South Carolina	United States
High school diploma or equivalent or higher	87.4%	84.2%	85.9%
Hold a bachelors degree or higher	29.8%	24.1%	28.5%
Hold an advanced degree	10.5%	8.4%	10.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 12/2012.

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	29,263	43,255	22,596	2,267
Number of Public Schools	39	78	20	5
Number of Magnet Schools	3	22
Teachers with Advanced Degrees	59.3%	56.0%	53.9%	57.3%
Number of Annual Graduates	1,549	1,992	1,183	141
% of Grads Entering Post-Secondary Education	69.4%	70.3%	70.0%	85.5%
% of Grads Entering Workforce/Military/Other	30.6%	29.7%	30.0%	14.5%
Per Pupil Expenditures	$8,332	$9,279	$7,790	$11,826
Pupil to Teacher Ratio	22 to 1	21.2 to 1	24.1 to 1	15.3 to 1
Average SAT Score	1,447	1,426	1,451	1,367
% of Seniors Taking Test	34%	64%	58%	11%
Source: S.C. Department of Education, 9/2012

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 2010 Enrollment
American College of the Building Arts	38
Art Institute of Charleston	700
Centura College	156
Charleston School of Law	242
Charleston Southern University	3,231
The Citadel	3,339
Clemson Architecture Center	22
Clemson University Restoration Institute	NA
College of Charleston	11,772
ECPI College of Technology	300
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University	300
Limestone College	120
Lowcountry Graduate Center	510
Medical University of South Carolina	2,560
Miller-Motte Technical College	667
Park University	210
Southern Illinois University	268
Southern Wesleyan University	250
Springfield College	185
Strayer University	NA
Thomas Edison State College	765
Trident Technical College	14,834
Troy University	117
Virginia College	841
Voorhees College	25
Webster University	400

Additional Major Colleges & Universities within South Carolina

Research Universities	Enrollment
University of South Carolina, Columbia SC	25,939
Clemson University, Clemson SC	18,238
Other Public Colleges/Universities
Coastal Carolina University	7,865
Francis Marion University	3,465
Lander University	2,647
South Carolina State University	4,122
University of South Carolina, Aiken	2,797
University of South Carolina, Beaufort	1,444
University of South Carolina, Upstate	4,839
Winthrop University	5,355
Private Colleges/Universities
Anderson University	2,279
Bob Jones University	3,956
Claflin University	1,860
Columbia College	1,444
Columbia International University	1,139
Converse College	1,720
Erskine College	874
Furman University	2,962
North Greenville University	2,260
Presbyterian College	1,221
South University	1,273
Wofford College	1,468
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, 11/2010

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 2010: $230 million

Clemson University Clemson, S.C.
Research funding fiscal 2010: $150 million

University of South Carolina Columbia, S.C.
Research funding fiscal 2010: $219 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.