Frequently Asked Questions

[2] Which schools in Charleston County are choice schools?
Visit our Choice Schools page for a list of CCSD’s choice schools.

[3] How do I know if a choice school is a good fit for my student?

It is important to explore the options offered by your neighborhood schools as a first step, before applying to one or more choice schools. Likewise, it is essential to understand the focus or theme of the choice school and how that focus is implemented. Consider the limitations of transportation provided and grade levels served for each choice school.

[4] If my student is already in a choice school, do I need to reapply for the coming school year?

No, you do not need to reapply each year. Once approved, a student may remain enrolled in their choice school or program until they complete all grades offered at that school. Students accepted to an attendance area magnet can remain unless they move outside of the attendance area of the magnet. If they move outside of the attendance area, they will be required to relinquish the seat to applicants of higher priority, or they may appeal to the CCSD School Board to remain at that school.

[5] What happens to a zoned student's enrollment at an Attendance Areas Magnet school if they move outside the enrollment zone or the Attendance Area?

NOTE: Zoned students are those who are zoned to attend the school based on their address and are not required to apply through the school choice process

Scenario 1: A student is enrolled in an Attendance Area Magnet school as a zoned student, and the family moves outside the enrollment zone (no longer zoned for that school) but within the same attendance area.

Action: If the move occurs during the school year, the family should contact the School Choice office to request permission to remain at the Attendance Area Magnet school for the remainder of the year and the next academic year. If the move is planned for the summer, the student's family should notify the principal and reapply for the next school year during the School Choice application process. Continued enrollment is dependent on the applicant's attendance area residence priority level and space availability.

Scenario 2: A student at an Attendance Area Magnet school moves to an address outside the Attendance Area

Action: The student may also request to remain at the school. However, this is not guaranteed and will require approval from the CCSD School Board. Priority will be given to students who reside within the Attendance Area. For further details, please contact the School Choice Office

[6] What face-to-face opportunities are there to learn more about CCSD magnet and charter schools? | Do choice schools offer school tours? | Will CCSD offer a Choice Fair this year?

A virtual Choice Fair is NOT scheduled for the 2026-27 School Choice application cycle. The virtual fair was launched in 2021 to allow parents to connect with school leaders and learn about special programs when in-person visits were not possible or encouraged. However, over the past few years, virtual participation has decreased as safety concerns have lessened and schools have resumed hosting comprehensive in-person parent tours. 

To ensure prospective families have the opportunity to visit school sites and programs firsthand, all choice schools are expected to offer at least one published tour or open house opportunity to occur near or during the timeframe of the 2026-27 School Choice application window (Jan 7 - Feb 12, 2026) Please visit the websites of the schools that interest you to access information, dates, and times, and to learn how to schedule tours.

Additionally, the School Choice office will conduct application assistance nights that include Q&A with our staff. Visit the Events tab for more information.

[7] Who can apply for a choice school? How can I apply for a choice school if I do not currently live in Charleston County?

All school-aged children residing in Charleston County are eligible to apply. Out-of-county residents can apply, but if accepted, pursuant to CCSD Board Policy JFAB, must meet property ownership requirements in Charleston County and pay tuition if not relocated to the county. Residency verification is due by June 30, 2026. It is required that property within Charleston County is owned in the student’s name with a tax-assessed value of $300.00 or more. Tuition is charged and must be paid each year the student attends the school. Families not currently living in Charleston County, but with the intent to move to Charleston County, may apply during the application window. If accepting a seat, students must provide proof of Charleston County residency by June 30, 2026. 

[15] How do I apply to a choice school for my student?

The online application is easy to complete and can be accessed from the CCSD website. For assistance, call the CCSD School Choice Office (843) 937-6582 or the school to which you are applying, or attend an Application Assistance session. All applicants will receive an immediate email confirmation after an online application is submitted.

[16] Which charter schools are not currently using the CCSD online application, and how do I apply to those schools?

[18] How do I find my student's CCSD ID number?

[21] How do I access and submit a paper application?

You may request one from the School Choice office at (843) 937-6582, and it will be mailed to the parent/guardian.

[22] Once a paper application is submitted, how will it be processed in the School Choice Lottery? 

All applications submitted during the designated application window will receive equal consideration regardless of the date they are submitted or the method of application.  All paper applicants will receive a confirmation email (up to a 7-Day delay) after the paper application is submitted. These additional days are needed for the applicant’s information to be manually transferred into the online system by a trained CCSD employee. Entering all applications in the same system will ensure students have an equitable opportunity for consideration in the general lottery process. Once the application is entered, applicants should receive an automatic email. Paper applications must be turned in by the posted deadline of February 12, 2026, at the CCSD District School Choice Office - 75 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401

[23] What can I expect to see as my application status?

A status of "Eligible to Proceed" means the application has been reviewed and will continue to the next step, which in most cases includes a lottery. The student will be offered a seat or placed on the waiting list.

A status of "Not Eligible to Proceed" means the application has been reviewed and does not meet the criteria for admission. 

[24] How does the lottery work?

Applications completed and submitted are first reviewed by school administrators, who determine if they are eligible for the lottery. The lottery category depends on the specific choice school and may include either of these two formats:

• Used for placement based on rubric results
• Randomized based on admission priorities

The results of a lottery run are an Offered List and a Waiting List per grade for each choice school and are based on the number of seats available per grade. All lotteries are run at the district office level using the application platform, and results are disbursed to parents by way of email and the parent dashboard. 

[25] What is the process for accepting or declining a seat at a choice school?

Notifications of acceptance will be sent to the email address used when applying. Applicants are only able to accept one (1) seat offer. Students cannot accept seat offers from multiple schools. In accepting a seat, applicants are confirming their decision regarding school choice for the 2026-27 school year and relinquishing all other seat offers from magnet schools included in their application. Your position on the waiting list of any other schools that you applied for will be released upon accepting a seat. 

[26] Will acceptance to a choice school be valid the following year if I do not attend the school in the accepted year?

Acceptance to a choice school will not roll over from year to year; a new application must be submitted each year.

[27]  How do waitlists work for choice schools?

If your student is placed on a waitlist, they will remain on it for that application year unless they accept a seat at another CCSD choice school. Families can view their student’s waitlist position at any time through the guardian dashboard in the application portal. For the 2026-27 school year, most waiting list movement for grades K-8 will stop on the first day of the third academic quarter.

[28] How do waiting lists and seat offers work for choice HIGH SCHOOLS?

Choice high schools and programs, including Military Magnet Academy, Early College High School, School of the Arts, and Academic Magnet High School (AMHS), have strict attendance requirements due to state or university mandates. These rules limit the number of academic days a student can miss in both high school and dual enrollment courses to receive credit. For AMHS specifically, the waiting list will only be considered up to 10 days after the school year begins. Additionally, seat offers and waiting lists do not carry over from year to year; families must submit a new application annually.

[29] By when do I have to accept a seat offer? What happens if I don’t accept the seat?

Review the Important Dates tab to see the date by which you must accept a seat offer. You will be notified of a specific deadline date or timeline to accept a seat offer, or it will be auto-declined. For the 2026-27 cycle, those receiving notification of an acceptance decision released on April 16, 2026, will have until April 21, 2026, at noon to accept the seat.

When waitlisted applicants are notified of a seat offer, they will have 72 hours to accept the seat after the notification is sent, or the seat will be auto-declined.

For new seat offers between April 22 and July 31, 2026, families will have until 6:00 p.m. on the third calendar day from the notification day to accept the seat. If not accepted within that window, the seat offer will be auto-declined. Example: If offered a seat on June 1, the family would have until 6:00 p.m. on June 4, 2026, to accept the seat.

New seat offers between Aug 1 and Aug 10, 2026, will have a 48-hour acceptance period. All waitlist movement ends Aug 10, 2026. 

Beginning August 11, 2026, new seat offers will no longer occur for attendance-area magnet schools. Based on the timing of seat availability (while remaining compliant with academic attendance requirements and application eligibility criteria), additional seat offers may be considered for applicants to AMHS, Buist Academy, Military Magnet Academy, and Charleston School of the Arts.

When there are fewer than 3 days before the auto-decline date, a family will only be offered a seat if they can be directly contacted to accept or decline the seat. 

[30] What happens if I change residency after accepting a seat at a choice school? 

If you accept a seat at a choice school and then change residency, you may have to forfeit the seat at that school for the particular application year. Forfeiture would depend on the application priority under which the seat was offered and whether there are other waiting list applicants in that same priority category.