Clear Dot Charter School, Columbia SC

Original Research by School Decision on Clear Dot Charter School

Clear Dot Charter School in Columbia sits inside the Charter Institute at Erskine, a statewide authorizer that has grown to oversee several dozen charter schools across South Carolina. The school serves a community of roughly five hundred students from pre-kindergarten through tenth grade, adding a high school component gradually. As a public charter school with open enrollment, it offers an alternative to the traditional Richland County district schools for families willing to apply and secure a seat.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a White minority and smaller shares of two or more races and Hispanic students. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that signals a high concentration of economic need. This is a school where a parent may want to ask directly about how the staff supports students facing poverty-related challenges, since no program data was available for this profile and the school’s staffing ratios were not reported.

State test results from the most recent year show a clear pattern. In English language arts, the school posts results that sit in a middle range: roughly two-fifths of third graders scored proficient, a share that drops to about a quarter in fourth and eighth grades and settles in the high third to two-fifths range for fifth through seventh grades. Math scores are lower across every grade. In third grade about a quarter of students reached proficiency; in fourth grade the share falls to roughly one in seven; in fifth grade it climbs back to just over a quarter. In the middle grades the numbers drop further, with sixth grade showing only a small handful of students at proficiency and seventh and eighth grades each registering roughly one in ten. Science results in fourth and sixth grades also land below a fifth of students proficient. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quarter of schools within Richland County. A parent considering Clear Dot should look closely at how the school identifies students who are behind grade level in math and what interventions it provides, as this is the area where the data suggests the largest gap.

Because the school only reaches tenth grade, no graduation rate is reported here, and families planning for high school completion will want to know whether Clear Dot will add the final two grades or how it helps students transfer to another school for eleventh and twelfth grades. No information on Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career and technical pathways was available in the profile.

Columbia itself mixes the functions of a state capital, a major university campus, and a large Army training installation. The school is located on Marion Street near downtown, close to the State House and the University of South Carolina. The area has seen steady population growth and downtown revitalization, particularly in the Congaree Vista district and along Main Street. Housing values in the school’s zip code are below the statewide median home value, and rental prices follow a similar pattern, making the neighborhood more affordable than much of the broader Columbia market.

The Charter Institute at Erskine, the school’s authorizer, underwent a limited review by the South Carolina Legislative Audit Council in 2025, which examined its oversight and operations. That review could affect how the school is governed going forward, and parents may want to follow any resulting changes. The district itself has expanded in recent years, adding schools and enrollment across the state, a context that suggests growth but also a dispersed organizational structure.

Clear Dot Charter School is a high-poverty, small charter that serves a predominantly Black student body from pre-K through tenth grade in downtown Columbia. Its academic profile shows English language arts results in a middle range relative to the county, while math and science proficiency are notably lower. A family drawn to the charter model, the small school environment, and the urban location will want to ask about the school’s plans for the high school grades, its math intervention approach, and what programs exist beyond the tested subjects.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 41% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 36% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 30% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 65%

School 5% · District 30% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 711%

School 11% · District 29% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 25% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 57% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 56% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 58% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 60% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 61% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 60% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 40% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 47% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

This schoolCharter Institute at Erskine, 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.