FAQ

ECMCS is open to students living in Charleston County. Families must be able to verify that they reside in Charleston County by June of the upcoming school year. New students must provide a notarized affidavit plus two supporting documents.  Information and the affidavit can be found here.  (Look for the New Student Heading)

We serve students ages 3 through 8th grade. Students in our Primary program must be 3 years old by September 1 in order to be eligible for school.

The hours for students in PK4 and up are 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Students can arrive as early as 7:30 AM.  Aftercare is available until 5:30 PM for a fee.  

The hours for students in PK3 are 8:00 - 12:00 PM. Students cannot arrive earlier than 7:50 AM. Aftercare is not available for 3-year-olds.

Buses are not provided for charter schools. Parents are responsible for transportation to and from school.

Applications are accepted using the School Choice application on the CCSD Schools website. Applications are accepted for a one-month period determined by the school district. After-deadline applications cannot be accepted.

The application schedule for the upcoming school year can be found here. As long as your application is received prior to the deadline, your application will be considered equally. In other words, there is no advantage to submitting an application earlier than later.

Lottery results will be emailed from CCSD.

We reserve 40% of our 3-year-old and 4-year-old seats for families who qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP benefits). To learn more, search SNAP benefits online.  If, after reviewing the SNAP information you think you qualify, you can apply for SNAP benefits and answer the question on the School Choice application form by clicking "I don't know/maybe."  If your child gets a seat based on the SNAP lottery, you will have 5 days to verify that you have SNAP benefits. If you don't have SNAP benefits, your general lottery results will be used.

You must accept your seat on the CCSD Parent Portal where you complete the School Choice application within 5 days. If your child is new to CCSD, you must provide their birth certificate and immunization record, and residency verification when the registration system is open. 

Siblings will move up on the waiting list if you applied for them AND linked their applications when you applied. Siblings receive waitlist priority after the initial lottery is run. However, siblings are not guaranteed a space until they are applying for first grade.

Additional Notes for PreK Students

All 3k and 4k acceptances are considered pending until :

• students take the DIAL 4 screening 
• students are toilet-trained

You will be informed of your place on the waitlist. If a seat becomes available before school starts, we will accept the next student on the waitlist for that grade. Spaces might be offered after the school year starts. You can check the Parent Portal to see your waitlist position throughout the year.

We start each year with a new application and a new waitlist. You will have to apply again for the next school year.