Original Research by School Decision on Odyssey Online Learning
Odyssey Online Learning is a public charter high school serving grades nine through twelve. As its name indicates, the school delivers instruction through an online learning model, and its physical address in Chapin serves as an administrative base. The school operates as part of the Charter Institute at Erskine, a statewide charter authorizer that has grown to oversee more than two dozen schools across South Carolina and was the subject of a state legislative audit in 2025 focused on oversight and operations.
The student body is moderate in size for a high school, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across the four grade levels. By race and ethnicity, the student population is majority white, with a substantial Black minority and smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of lower household income. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported, so families may wish to ask the school directly about supports for those populations.
State testing results and a four-year graduation rate are not available for Odyssey Online Learning in the data we reviewed, so it is not possible to place the school’s academic performance in context against other schools in Lexington County or statewide. Parents considering this school will want to ask the school directly about how it measures student progress, what assessment data it uses, and what outcomes its graduates achieve. The absence of these common metrics may be due to the school’s online model or its charter status, but the data does not specify a reason. Without that information, a family cannot compare proficiency or graduation rates to nearby schools from what is publicly reported here.
The program offerings, staffing levels, and discipline data were also not available in the record. The school does not appear to have a Title I designation. It is a regular school in its type classification, not an alternative or special-purpose school, but the lack of typical metrics means that families assessing the school will rely heavily on direct inquiries and their own conversations with the school’s leadership.
Chapin, where the school’s address is located, is a small town near Lake Murray with a historic downtown district and a commuting relationship to Columbia. The town has seen steady growth since the mid-twentieth century and hosts community events such as the annual Labor Day Festival. Because Odyssey Online Learning is an online program, the local community context matters less for day-to-day school life than it would for a traditional brick-and-mortar school. Students may live anywhere in the state, and the school’s identity is tied more to its virtual model than to the town of its administrative office.
The district authorizer, the Charter Institute at Erskine, continues to expand its network of charter schools, which broadens public school choice for families but also means that oversight structures may still be evolving. The 2025 legislative audit could lead to changes in how authorized schools are governed, something parents may want to follow.
In sum, Odyssey Online Learning offers an online public high school option for students who need or prefer a virtual learning environment. The lack of published academic outcome data and the absence of information on special programs, staffing, and discipline mean that a parent’s evaluation will depend on what the school itself provides rather than on independent comparative measures. Families who value flexibility, a charter setting, and an online format may find this school worth exploring, with the understanding that key academic and support data will need to come directly from the school.
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