COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Colleton County’s first free public charter school is preparing to break ground on a permanent campus that will eventually serve students in early kindergarten through eighth grade.
Libertas Academy has been operating in a temporary location and currently enrolls children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The school plans to add one grade each year until it reaches eighth grade, and leaders say a new permanent campus is crucial to supporting that growth.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, with former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley joining school and county officials to celebrate the start of construction.
Organizers say the project is a significant investment in rural education and expands the region’s access to high-quality public charter schools.
Beasley, who signed South Carolina’s original charter school bill into law in 1996, is expected to emphasize the role charter schools play in increasing educational opportunities in rural communities.
Tutelage School Solutions, which supports the academy, said his involvement “amplifies the significance of this milestone and the ongoing commitment to educational equity for students and families regardless of their zip code.”
Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Smith Street in Walterboro.
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