Rock Hill schools see increase in choice program applicants
More students have applied to attend one of six school-choice programs in Rock Hill that a year ago, said Mychal Frost, the district’s director of communications.
A total of 650 students applied to attend a choice program for the 2017-18 school year, compared to 610 applicants for 2016-17, Frost said. Offer letters have been sent to applicants and responses are beginning to come in.
Students generally must attend a public school based on where they live. But school choice programs are specialized programs that students can apply to attend, whether or not they are zoned to attend that school.
“Interest in our choice programs continues to grow,” Frost said. “We believe this is a reflection of the strong academic programs afforded to students in different and specialized learning environments.”
Rock Hill offers choice programs in arts, International Baccalaureate, Inquiry, French and Spanish language immersion, Montessori and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, or STEAM.
A school-choice fair was held in January.
“We understand choice is not for all children. However, we believe in allowing parents to have an opportunity to seek out a learning environment that will allow their child to excel in academics, in the arts and in extracurricular and co-curricular programs,” Frost said. “We're unique in our community in that we are able to provide that choice inside of the public education system.”
Of the 610 applicants in the 2016-2017 school year, 582 accepted positions in a school-choice program, Frost said. Currently, there are 4,354 students participating in a choice program within the district, he said.
That number includes programs that are offered to the entire school population, including International Baccalaureate at Rosewood Elementary and Sullivan Middle School, the arts at Northside School of the Arts and STEAM at Saluda Trail Middle School, Frost said.
The school district is making improvements to its choice programs with a dedicated Montessori building, at Ebenezer Avenue Elementary, a new language immersion campus at Sullivan Middle School, and “makerspaces” at South Pointe High School. Makerspaces – communal rooms with tools – are designed to inspire creativity and teamwork for the school’s STEAM program.
This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Rock Hill schools see increase in choice program applicants."