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Many students this year will study at home instead of at a traditional school.

School choice is crucial for kids who don’t do well in public school.

Lexington County has many other options from charter schools, homeschooling and private schools.

Joshua Kitchens of SC Connections Academy said, “the flexible schedule, the ability to go at a faster or slower pace and the personal connections makes SCCA a good choice for parents.”

High school student Bailey Greemon agrees.

“What I love most about SCCA is the flexibility,” said Greemon. “I want to sing, dance, and act, and they all require a lot of practice and training.”

SCCA had 4,803 students enrolled for online schools for the 2017-2018 school year.

Lisa Baghdady, a former public school teacher and founder of Dutch Fork Homeschool Resource Center, said, “Nothing can beat one-on-one instruction.

“Homeschooling allows parents the freedom to move as quickly or as slowly as needed, to teach and reteach material until their child gets it.”

Green Charter School of the Midlands has a unique engineering and energy education program and specializes in individual instruction.

Payton Markl said, “Our campus has 2 excel classes for the middle school years for math and ELA. Some of my friends, along with myself, are studying 1- 3-grade levels above what they’re supposed to and exceeding in most testing categories.

“I love the feeling of having a purpose in a small community and having good friends to learn with and from.”

A2zhomeschooling.org estimates that across the nation, the homeschooling movement increases 2.56% a year. An estimated 23,234 SC students were home schooled in the 2017-2018 school year.

Latest data from the SC Department of Education shows 130 charter schools and non-traditional public schools have an enrollment of 26,473 students in addition to 777,035 students enrolled in public schools in the 2017-2018 school year.