The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Gates School
Gates School is closed. That is the first and most important fact for any parent or resident looking at this school. The data shows the school’s lifecycle status as closed, and no further enrollment figures are available. It operated as a regular charter school within the Charter Institute at Erskine, a statewide charter authorizer in South Carolina. The directory lists the grades served as M through M, which typically indicates middle school, though the testing data that exists covers grades three through six, suggesting the school may have served a broader elementary and middle range at some point before closing.
Because the school is closed, there is no graduation rate to report, and many of the metrics a family would normally examine are simply absent. State testing results from the 2022-23 school year are available for some grade levels, but the picture they give is one of very low proficiency. In fourth-grade math, the share of students scoring at or above state standards was in the single digits, and in fifth-grade math it was similarly low. English language arts results were also thin: fourth-grade reading proficiency was in the single digits, and fifth-grade reading was a modest share. Science results for fourth grade showed no student reaching the proficient level. For several grade levels and subjects, results were suppressed, meaning the tested group was too small to report. Participation rates are missing. Any family looking at these numbers would see a school where academic attainment was far below typical levels across the state. A parent may want to consider whether the school’s closure resolved a situation that had been challenging for students and staff.
The school was located in Mount Pleasant, a large and fast-growing suburban town in the Charleston metropolitan area. Mount Pleasant has been one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing communities for decades, with its population roughly doubling in recent decades and extensive residential development pushing far northeast along the U.S. Route 17 corridor. The town offers a mix of historic neighborhoods, such as the walkable Old Village, and sprawling car-dependent suburbs. Home values in the area are high, well above both state and national medians, and rents are also elevated, reflecting the area’s desirability and growth pressure. Civic anchors include Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The town is primarily residential and commercial, with a strong tourism draw but a largely suburban character.
The charter district that authorized Gates School, the Charter Institute at Erskine, is itself a notable entity. It oversees more than two dozen charter schools across South Carolina, serving many students. In 2025, the South Carolina Legislative Audit Council conducted a limited review of the institute’s oversight and operations, a development that parents may want to investigate further if considering any school under this authorizer. The district has continued to grow, adding new charter schools, but the audit results could shape how the authorizer operates going forward.
For a family reading this today, the most relevant takeaway is that Gates School is no longer operating. The testing data that does exist shows a school that was struggling on state assessments. Without enrollment numbers, demographic information, or any program offerings in the record, the full picture of who the school served and what it offered beyond testing remains unknown. A researcher looking at historical school options in Mount Pleasant would place this as a closed charter with a very low academic baseline in its final years. A parent shopping for an active school should look elsewhere, and the district brief may offer useful context about the authorizer’s current status as they evaluate other charter options in the area.
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