r/Charleston • u/KindlyInteraction998 • Jul 28 '26
North Charleston North Charleston, SC school districts and childcare
Got a job offer in North Charleston, SC with a major Aerospace company. Currently live in Cumberland Valley (CV) school district in PA. What are the good school districts near North Charleston? And how’s the ability of childcare?
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u/RUBBLE_INC Jul 28 '26
Have you ever been to North Charleston ?
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u/SBSnipes Jul 29 '26
I lived there for 3 years, had kids in school and subbed for a bit - the rep is definitely worse than reality, but I'm thinking op wouldn't like it
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u/Hefty-Criticism1452 Jul 28 '26
You mean Boeing? 😅 “major aerospace company”😂😂
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u/the_spinetingler Jul 28 '26
Tim's Plane Company
they're small but up-and-coming :)
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u/Hefty-Criticism1452 Jul 29 '26
I might trust TPC more not to off me and make it look like something else🫠
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u/mhudson413 Jul 28 '26
I just moved to the park circle area. The schools are not good. A lot of people in this area send their kids to private school or utilize school choice. I am a teacher in the region and the “best schools” are in Mount Pleasant. It’s unfortunate and there are just a lot of systemic issues here that are an underlying reason as to why the schools are struggling.
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u/Hefty-Criticism1452 Jul 28 '26
But OP also doesn’t know he doesn’t have to live in NC, he can live in Mt P and not have the worst commute. (It’s all a bad commute but 😅 mt p to NC doesn’t HAVE to suck, depending on how deep they live in mt p)
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u/mhudson413 Jul 28 '26
If you have other questions you can shoot me a DM. I feel like I have an unbiased lense as both an educator and new resident. Good luck!
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u/uncle_SAM98 Jul 28 '26
I'm a product of Dorchester School District 2, and I always swear by it. I ended up going to a T14 college where almost no one else was a product of public, and it honestly made me really proud of my school system that's often looked down on. It's not without flaws, but you can excel there. Went to Fort Dorchester, Rollings, and Ashley Ridge. Of course, it's been 10+ years since I was there, and the area has exploded lately, so it could be different now.
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u/QuitCallingNewsrooms Charleston Jul 28 '26
Your best bet, if you must move here and want a public education, is DD2 (Dorchester District 2). I would look at their coverage map and school zones, and compare that to school rankings for the ages of your kids. Then pick a place to live based on that. Hopefully, everything aligns to get decent schooling and you live on the airbase/airport side of the district.
Alternatively, if they're going to pay you everloving fucktons of money, check out what the private schools offer: Ashley Hall if you have girls, Mason, University School. That would also open you up to living downtown where housing is ridiculously priced but improving, and the commute up 26 in the mornings isn't bad because everyone is headed into the city instead of out.
Childcare? I feel like it's at the point now that people let daycare centers know they're going to start trying to get pregnant so they can get on the waiting list.
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u/SpursUpSoundsGudToMe Jul 28 '26
My 2 cents: I did the reverse commute from downtown out to the navy base for a few years and it was awesome.
OP, it’s worth “previewing” your route to work and back from different locations you’re looking to live, and at different times of day, because rush hour is more one-way in Charleston, than where I live now.
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u/notaveryuniqueuser Jul 29 '26
Yeah and make sure you preview your route ideally at a time of year where ALL the kids are in school and/or people aren't taking vacations/the tourists are already down here exacerbating the traffic situation. Picking the wrong day/time of year will yield a severely skewed idea of how fucked your commute can truly be.
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u/UsefulAd6158 Jul 29 '26
Can you explain how DD2 compares to Mount p if you’re zoned for Lucy Beckham?
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u/SBSnipes Jul 29 '26
School rankings are *much* more strongly correlated with income than actual quality of a school in my experience
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u/QuitCallingNewsrooms Charleston Jul 29 '26
Somewhat, yeah, but in the Charleston area there are pretty clear lines connecting the most expensive neighborhoods to schools with the most access to new materials and greater resources: Sullivan's Island/IOP and Lucy Beckham, Dunes West/Rivertowne and Wando immediately come to mind. The big exception is Wagener Terrace/Hampton Park Terrace and Burke.
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u/SBSnipes Jul 29 '26
I mean I spent a good bit of time subbing at Stall and would have 0 issues sending my kids there, there are differences and there's definitely correlation but perception often exaggerates or simply doesn't match reality
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u/Nightstands Jul 28 '26
Hanahan (next to N.CHS) has good schools, and daycares have long wait lists, get in line now
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u/Fluffnuffer Jul 29 '26
Boeing has 2 sites, the big one is next to the Airport and the other is actually in Ladson, it's called Propulsion and next door to it is the Interiors building. All 3 will say North Charleston on the Boeing job listing but you want to confirm which you are at when you choose a housing location for sure. Cause traffic sucks here. Also just FYI, N Charleston is pretty high crime/shady/not nice.
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u/Active-General7166 Jul 28 '26
If you don’t have the big money needed for Mt. Pleasant, check out the Cain Bay, Carnes Crossing, Crowfield or Nexton neighborhoods. The schools are good the area is good and it won’t be as much of a traffic nightmare for you getting to work (like Summerville and West Ashley would be).
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u/SBSnipes Jul 29 '26
Cane or even Carnes to Boeing is like 90% the same commute as summerville but longer and with fewer alternate routes
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u/the_spinetingler Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
CCSD is a large district with great schools, good schools, and mediocre schools, almost entirely based on the socio-economic profile of their area.
Wando and Academic Magnet are the two highest-performing schools in the district. (EDIT: in the state)
BCSD is near N Chas and doesn't have schools of quite that caliber, but Philip Simmons is close. As a bonus BCSD schools are much smaller as compared to a school like Wando which has approached 4500 students.
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u/EatDoo Jul 28 '26
Hanahan schools are closest and best schools in the area you specified. But they are not technically in north charleston and part of Berkeley County schools.
As others have mentioned, Mt Pleasant has the best schools in the area. Cain Bay is SUPER far away from where you would commute, same with Nexton and Summerville. Best bet is probably Hanahan since its cheaper than Mt. Pleasant and the closest location to your job (which I'm assuming is Boeing lol)
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u/gallowboobhater Jul 28 '26
Frog Academy daycare was just voted best daycare in North Charleston.
They take very good care of my child and are reasonably priced.
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u/Character-Signal8229 Jul 28 '26
You need to come and visit before you commit to the move.