Private schools in South Carolina
ESTF pays $7,634 per student for 2026-27. South Carolina students age 5 to 21 with household income at or below 500% of the poverty level ($160,750 for a family of four).
Start here
- 199 schools on the official ESTF listBy town, with tuition where verified
- How ESTF worksAward, who qualifies, how to apply
- Private schools by city32 town pages
- Private school tuition in South Carolina52 verified prices
- Homeschooling in South CarolinaThe law and what the state pays
South Carolina private schools at a glance
- Counties with a private school
- 43 of 46
- Town pages
- 32
- Most private schools
- Columbia (36), Greenville (30) and Charleston (23)
- Typical school
- 137 students, 8.6 per teacher
- Smallest and largest
- First Presbyterian Academy Downtown, 10 students; Christ Church Episcopal School, 1,276 students
- Co-ed or single-sex
- 4 all-boys
- Association members
- 109, most often the American Association of Christian Schools
- To a 4-year college
- 77% of graduates at the typical high school (114 reporting)
- Programs
- 25 Montessori, 9 special education
- Public charter schools
- 111, tuition-free and not counted here
Charter schools in South Carolina
- Catholic29
- Christian, not Catholic162
- Jewish4
- Islamic2
- Other faiths5
- Nonsectarian74
- Not in federal survey92
- Pre-K (and up)191
- Elementary (K to 5)261
- Middle (6 to 8)197
- High school (9 to 12)145
- K to 12, one school105
- Under 5051
- 50 to 14961
- 150 to 29951
- 300 to 59937
- 600 or more13
- South Carolina54%
Where these facts come from
- Grades, size, affiliation, co-ed, membership, college-going: NCES Private School Universe Survey 2023-24, downloaded September 20, 2026.
- Program list: South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund schools, list dated September 28, 2026, checked November 2, 2026.
- Award and rules: South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund, official page, read October 7, 2026.
- Tuition for 52 schools: each school’s own website, last read October 14, 2026.
- Public charter schools: NCES Common Core of Data, public school directory 2025-26 (preliminary), loaded October 8, 2026.
What South Carolina pays
Figures read from each program’s official pages, October 7, 2026. Sources and how to apply
The 15,000-student cap for 2026-27 has been reached. Only the waitlist is open.
How ESTF works, start to finish
What share of South Carolina private schools are on the list, next to other states
Charter schools, private schools and school choice in South Carolina, next to other states
By city
Each count: schools in the town or within 6 miles (12 for small towns).
- Greer (41)
- Greenville (39)
- Columbia (36)
- Simpsonville (36)
- Charleston (32)
- Mount Pleasant (22)
- Mauldin (21)
- Taylors (21)
- Lexington (20)
- West Columbia (16)
- Summerville (15)
- North Charleston (14)
- Anderson (12)
- Florence (12)
- Spartanburg (12)
- Aiken (11)
- Myrtle Beach (11)
- Rock Hill (11)
- Sumter (11)
- Conway (9)
- Hilton Head Island (9)
- Orangeburg (9)
- North Augusta (7)
- Beaufort (6)
- Pawleys Island (6)
- Hartsville (5)
- Ridgeland (5)
- Westminster (5)
- Blackville (4)
- Camden (4)
- Kingstree (3)
- Newberry (3)
By kind of school
By county
- Abbeville County (3): Shiloh Christian School, Lighthouse Christian School, Cold Springs Mennonite School
- Aiken County (17)
- Anderson County (13)
- Bamberg County (1): Andrew Jackson Academy
- Barnwell County (4): Winfield Heights Christian Kindergarten, Jefferson Davis Academy, Calvary Fellowship Mennonite, Barnwell Christian School
- Beaufort County (16)
- Berkeley County (10)
- Calhoun County (3): Calhoun Academy, Foundation Christian School, Rose of Sharon Christian Academy
- Charleston County (42)
- Cherokee County (1): Palmetto Christian Academy of Gaffney
- Chester County (1): Hawthorne Christian Academy
- Chesterfield County (6)
- Clarendon County (4): Laurence Manning Academy, Harvest Community School, Mother Geneva Johnson Academy, Clarendon Hall School
- Colleton County (3): North Walterboro Christian Academy, Colleton Preparatory Academy, Community Christian Academy
- Darlington County (7)
- Dillon County (1): Dillon Christian School
- Dorchester County (9)
- Edgefield County (2): Francis Hugh Wardlaw Academy, Covenant Christian Academy of Augusta
- Fairfield County (1): Richard Winn Academy
- Florence County (11)
- Georgetown County (8)
- Greenville County (53)
- Greenwood County (3): Cambridge Academy, Greenwood Christian School, Harvest Schoolhouse (at New Journey Church Greenwood)
- Hampton County (1): Patrick Henry Academy
- Horry County (18)
- Jasper County (4): Step of Faith Christian Academy, Legacy Christian Academy, John Paul II Catholic School, Thomas Heyward Academy
- Kershaw County (4): Cornerstone Christian School, Amen Always Community Academy, Camden Military Academy, Mount Olivet Christian School
- Lancaster County (2): Lancaster Christian Academy, Carolina Christian Academy
- Laurens County (1): Lighthouse Christian Academy
- Lee County (1): Lee Academy
- Lexington County (13)
- Marion County (2): Mullins Marion Christian School, Pee Dee Academy
- Marlboro County (2): Marlboro Academy, Mission of Faith Community School
- Newberry County (3): Newberry Academy, Kids Unlimited Too, Cornerstone Community Academy
- Oconee County (6)
- Orangeburg County (10)
- Pickens County (3): Easley Christian School, Missionary Christian School, Lakeview Christian School
- Richland County (38)
- Saluda County (1): W Wyman King Academy
- Spartanburg County (12)
- Sumter County (11)
- Williamsburg County (5)
- York County (12)
The largest private schools in South Carolina
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Christ Church Episcopal School | K-12 | 1,276 |
| Southside Christian School ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,146 |
| Bob Jones Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,112 |
| Ben Lippen School ✓ | PreK-12 | 1,105 |
| Porter-Gaud School | 1-12 | 1,071 |
| Hammond School ✓ | PreK-12 | 944 |
| Wilson Hall ✓ | PreK-12 | 737 |
| Bishop England High School | 9-12 | 718 |
| Northside Christian Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 705 |
| Palmetto Christian Academy ✓ | PreK-12 | 678 |
| Pinewood Preparatory School ✓ | PreK-12 | 672 |
| Hilton Head Christian Academy | K-12 | 628 |
| Christ Our King-Stella Mans School | PreK-8 | 602 |
| Westminster Catawba Christian School-High | PreK-12 | 597 |
| Westminster Catawba Christian School ✓ | PreK-12 | 591 |
What private school costs in South Carolina
- Kindergarten to grade 5
- $8,370 middle, $4,400 to $32,880 (47 schools)
- Grades 6 to 8
- $10,443 middle, $4,800 to $36,820 (50 schools)
- Grades 9 to 12
- $11,170 middle, $4,800 to $36,820 (41 schools)
Prices read on each school’s own website; mostly larger schools so far, so a guide, not an average.
- K to 5 (45 schools)$8,712 vs $7,634
- Grades 6 to 8 (47 schools)$10,485 vs $7,634
- Grades 9 to 12 (38 schools)$11,335 vs $7,634
2026-27 prices only, read on each school’s own website, all private schools in South Carolina with a verified price for that band. Award from South Carolina ESTF, Education Service Provider Guide 2026-27, read October 9, 2026.
Private school tuition in South Carolina, school by school. Tuition in every state.
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Questions parents ask
How much does South Carolina pay toward private school?
$7,634 per student for 2026-27. Paid quarterly.
Who can get it?
South Carolina students age 5 to 21 with household income at or below 500% of the poverty level ($160,750 for a family of four).
Is there still room?
The 15,000-student cap for 2026-27 has been reached. Only the waitlist is open.
How do I know a school takes ESTF?
Schools marked here are the in-person independent schools that the South Carolina Department of Education’s 2026-27 approved-provider workbook shows as ready to receive payments, with 210 entries in the copy last updated by the department on September 28, 2026. The same workbook lists 69 more in-person schools that the department has approved but that had not finished registering with ClassWallet, and the state says only approved and registered providers can be paid from an ESTF account.