Lexington County charter school expanded last year. Is another campus on the way?
A popular charter school in Lexington County could be expanding.
Gray Collegiate Academy located on Leaphart Road in West Columbia, opened its campus in 2014 for middle and high school students. Last year, they were approved to open a “satellite campus” in Irmo, which officials called an “extension” of the West Columbia school with alternate course offerings for those in grades 6-10. With unanimous approval from the Charter Institute at Erskine Wednesday, another satellite campus may be on the way.
The academy requested a grade level expansion amendment to add grades K-4 in an additional satellite campus to serve about 500 students in grades K-5. Gray Collegiate already approved for grades 5-12.
Gray Collegiate Principal Brian Newsome told the charter institute that the elementary school would be an accelerated program model, preparing students for honors classes in middle school and dual enrollment classes.
“As we continue to grow and expand, we’re very fortunate that the interest is very high,” Newsome said at the meeting. “Now we’re just expanding upon looking at opportunities out there that may present to us to do an elementary opportunity.”
Newsome said the satellite elementary school would operate similarly to the Irmo campus.
“It will be right in line with what we’re doing right now. I’ll be the principal of this school as well. ... Same mission, vision, culture, expectations, all those kinds of things will be consistent,” Newsome said. “So the expectations will stay high, that we expect the elementary school to fall in line as we have with the middle school and high school.”
It would be an all-day program from Monday through Thursday, similar to the academy’s middle school, Newsome said, with remediation on Fridays. Only Gray’s high school students have flex schedules.
The State has reached out to Gray Collegiate principal Brian Newsome and board chair Pennie Peagler. The State has also reached out to the Charter Institute at Erskine.
Zak Koeske contributed to this report.
