Bridges Preparatory School, Beaufort SC

Original Research by School Decision on Bridges Preparatory School

Bridges Preparatory School is a public charter school in Beaufort that serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade under a single roof, making it the kind of place where a child could start in a kindergarten classroom and graduate from the same building a dozen years later. It sits on Boundary Street in Beaufort, on the peninsula that forms the city’s historic core, a short distance from the antebellum architecture and live oak-lined streets that define downtown. The school draws a substantial student body for a charter of this grade span, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across the elementary and middle grades and a somewhat smaller group in the upper high school years.

The student population is predominantly white, with a measurable share of Black and Hispanic students and smaller numbers of Asian, Native American, and multiracial children. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is low relative to many public schools in the region; families considering Bridges should note this means the peer environment skews toward higher-income households, and they may want to ask the school directly about how it supports economic diversity within the building. Data on the share of students with disabilities and the share identified as English learners was not available in the sources reviewed, so a parent seeking a full picture of special education resources or language support should follow up with the school.

Academically, Bridges shows a pattern that parents will want to examine grade by grade. In English language arts, proficiency rates are generally strong across the tested elementary and middle grades, with several grade levels reaching well above the midpoint and some hitting notably high marks. Math tells a more varied story. Scores are solid in the early elementary years, but by the upper elementary and middle school grades the proficiency rates drop noticeably, settling in a range that some families would consider a soft spot. The social studies results available from a prior school year were quite high, and science scores in the tested grades sit near the middle of the range. Because Bridges spans the full K-12 range, the absence of high school end-of-course testing results in the provided data is a gap worth noting; the school appears to be included in the SC Public Charter School District, a statewide authorizer, and a parent interested in how Bridges prepares students for college or career should seek out the school’s own reporting on Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or other upper-level pathways.

Beaufort itself shapes the experience of attending Bridges. The city is the county seat and a tourist destination, with a National Historic Landmark District, a bustling downtown along Carteret and Craven Streets, and a strong military presence from nearby Parris Island and the Marine Corps air station. The economy relies heavily on the military, hospitality, and healthcare. Housing values in the area are high relative to both the state and national benchmarks, which fits with the relatively low share of students qualifying for meal assistance. The downtown area is walkable and historic, but the school’s location on Boundary Street places it on the edge of that walkable core; families driving from outlying areas such as Lady’s Island will find a more auto-oriented commute.

Because Bridges is part of the SC Public Charter School District, a statewide authorizer that is not a traditional geographic district, there was no comparable district-level change or initiative to report. That means the school operates with some structural independence, and parents looking into recent curriculum shifts, staffing changes, or budget developments will need to get them directly from the school’s leadership or board.

The comparison across Beaufort County districts could not be computed because Bridges is the only school in this particular comparison set, so there is no local positioning available here. A family weighing Bridges against other Beaufort-area public schools or private options will need to gather those comparisons on their own. Overall, this is a charter that performs well in literacy and early math but shows a drop in middle-grade math that merits a direct conversation with the administration about how they address that trend and what supports are in place for students as they move through the grades.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 31 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

241 schools plotted. 4 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 50% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 472%

School 72% · District 44% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 36% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 35% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 32% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 24% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 59% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 60% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 58% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 62% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 774%

School 74% · District 64% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 59% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 43% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 50% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 66% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 65% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolSC Public Charter School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income65%Higher-income69%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income68%Higher-income86%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income64%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income71%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income71%Higher-income75%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income80%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income52%Higher-income62%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income78%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income51%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income47%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income52%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income16%Higher-income51%35 pp gap