Palmetto Scholars Academy

What Palmetto Scholars Academy does

Palmetto Scholars Academy (PSA) is a public charter school serving intellectually gifted students in grades 6-12, located on Joint Base Charleston in North Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 2010 by a group of parents and professionals, the school operates under the South Carolina Public Charter School District and admits students statewide via a random lottery system due to demand exceeding capacity. Tuition is fully waived, with operations funded by per-pupil allocations from the state charter district supplemented by Title and other public education funding streams.

PSA's core product is a rigorous academic program that offers only Honors-level or higher courses (no College Preparatory track), augmented by signature programming including Mission Design interdisciplinary projects, a VEX Robotics competitive track, a multi-year research program culminating in a Senior Capstone Experience, and monthly LEAP Day enrichment periods. The technology stack is conventional K-12 EdTech: Google Classroom for instruction and assignments, Google Suite for productivity and email, PowerSchool for grades/attendance and enrollment applications, and Chromebooks in a one-to-one deployment model. Dual enrollment partnerships with College of Charleston and Trident Technical College allow seniors to earn college credit.

Revenue mechanics are deterministic and tied to enrollment: PSA receives per-pupil public funding scaled to seat count, with capacity bounded by charter and facility constraints. Enrollment is capped at 72-96 seats per cohort in grades 6-9 and 72 seats per grade in grades 10-12, implying a theoretical maximum near 500-600 students. PSA serves its primary persona-intellectually gifted students-and a secondary segment of military families via its Joint Base Charleston location and 2025 Purple Star School designation. Governance is provided by an independent Board of Directors; the school has no parent company, no external equity, and no disclosed venture or acquisition activity.

Name

Palmetto Scholars Academy

Legal name

Palmetto Scholars Academy

Website

https://psaschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Palmetto Scholars Academy is a public, tuition-free charter school in North Charleston, SC, serving intellectually gifted students in grades 6-12 via a statewide lottery and operating signature programs including Mission Design, VEX Robotics, and dual enrollment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter Secondary Education (Gifted K-12)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Magnet & Specialty Schools (STEM/Arts/IB/CTE) (EDAJAAAF), Gifted, Advanced & Acceleration Centers (Honors/AP/IB Enrichment) (EDANAHAL)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• Gifted student programs
• Secondary education services
• Dual enrollment programs
• STEM robotics programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: As a public charter school, PSA is tuition-free and funded through per-pupil allocations from the South Carolina Public Charter School District and state funding. Being part of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, PSA receives public funding based on student enrollment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Palmetto Scholars Academy is a tuition-free public charter school that delivers a rigorous, all-honors-and-above academic program for intellectually gifted students in grades 6-12 in North Charleston, SC. Its core offering is the charter school education itself, supplemented by signature programs such as Mission Design interdisciplinary projects, VEX Robotics, a research program culminating in a Senior Capstone Experience, LEAP Day monthly enrichment, the four-house community system, dual enrollment with the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College, and Phoenix Athletics.

Product overview

Palmetto Scholars Academy is a public charter school serving intellectually gifted students in grades 6-12. The school operates as a unified educational program centered on its charter school core, supplemented by specialized programs including a Dual Enrollment Program (partnering with Trident Technical College and College of Charleston), VEX Robotics, Mission Design interdisciplinary projects, LEAP Day enrichment activities, and a House System for character development. The school uses PowerSchool for grades/attendance and Google Classroom for assignments. Students participate in research culminating in a Senior Capstone Experience, and have access to athletics and diverse clubs/extracurricular activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Palmetto Scholars Academy Charter School (Grades 6-12) A tuition-free public charter school for intellectually gifted students in grades 6-12 in North Charleston, SC, offering an all-honors-and-above academic program with AP courses, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and extracurricular activities under the South Carolina Public Charter School District.
• Dual Enrollment Program A program that allows high school students at PSA to enroll as part-time students at the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College to earn college credit through semester-based, approved dual enrollment courses.
• VEX Robotics Program A hands-on STEM program in which students design, build, and program robots, develop engineering and problem-solving skills, and compete in VEX and VEX IQ Robotics competitions.
• Mission Design Program An interdisciplinary project-based learning program in which students research real-world issues, develop solutions, and present their work, building critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• LEAP Day (Learning Enhancement and Achievement Program) A monthly enrichment day offering alternative courses led by teachers, staff, parents, and community leaders in areas such as Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, Robotics, Screenwriting, Art of Film, Model UN, and Photography, with houses competing in team-based challenges.
• House System A four-house community system (Athena, Heracles, Kratos, Poseidon) named after Greek mythology figures that assigns every student to a house to build relationships, strengthen culture, and create a sense of belonging across grade levels.
• Research Program with Senior Capstone Experience A research program that begins in 6th grade and progresses through career investigation to a Senior Capstone Experience requiring a research paper and a tangible product, presented orally or visually.
• Phoenix Athletics An interscholastic athletic program offering cross country, volleyball, basketball, sideline cheerleading, baseball, softball, and soccer at JV and Varsity levels for students in 7th grade and above.
• Clubs and Extracurricular Activities A catalog of student-run clubs including Student Council, National Honor Society, Robotics, VEX Robotics, Mission Design, Drama Club, Cyber Defense, Art Club, and Debate Club, with students able to propose and create new clubs with a faculty sponsor.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 SC Public Charter School District High School
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Joint Base CharlestoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015PSA relocated to its current campus on Joint Base Charleston in 2015. The school proudly partners with Joint Base Charleston and their military families, offering specialized support for military children including Purple Star School designation, Military Family Life Counselors, and School Liaison Specialist services.
• Trident Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual enrollment partnership allowing seniors at PSA to participate as part-time students taking approved Dual Enrollment credit-bearing courses. Courses are semester-based in accordance with college academic calendars.
• College of CharlestoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual enrollment partnership allowing seniors at PSA to participate as part-time students taking approved Dual Enrollment credit-bearing courses alongside Trident Technical College courses.
• South Carolina Public Charter School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSA is part of the South Carolina Public Charter School District and serves students from across the state. The district provides charter authorization, oversight, and per-pupil funding support.
• School Liaison Specialist (SLS) Joint Base CharlestonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool Liaison Specialist provides support to military families for school transitions, deployments, and PCS moves. Contact: Chris Gerry and Jennifer Ohmer provide coordination between the school and military installation.
• Military and Family Life Counseling ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild and youth behavioral military and family life counselors provide support to military children for issues including low self-esteem, behavioral problems, and changes at home. Mrs. Debra Dinolfo serves as the PSA Military Family Life Counselor.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large urban charter network with rigorous college-prep focus and selective enrollment via lottery. Comparable in charter-driven demand-exceeds-supply dynamic and academic rigor positioning, though serves a different geographic and demographic market.
• National Heritage Academies: National for-profit charter management organization operating K-8 (and some K-12) charter schools with structured college-prep curricula. Relevant comparable for charter operating model and per-pupil funded economics, though more K-8 focused.
• KIPP Public Charter Schools: One of the largest public charter networks in the U.S., operating K-12 schools with college-prep curricula. Relevant comparable for charter governance, per-pupil funding reliance, and lottery-based admissions dynamics.

Direct peers

• High Tech High: San Diego-based charter school network emphasizing project-based learning and STEM, with strong robotics and applied research programs. Closely comparable to PSA's Mission Design and VEX Robotics approach within a charter governance model.
• BASIS Charter Schools: National charter and independent school network focused on college-prep and advanced academics, with honors/AP-heavy curricula and STEM emphasis. Directly comparable to PSA in academic positioning, though geographically distant and operationally larger.
• Charleston County School of the Arts: Public magnet school in North Charleston serving grades 6-12 with selective admissions for artistically and academically gifted students. Most direct local competitor for PSA's gifted-and-talented applicant pool in the Charleston metro.
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology: Top-ranked public magnet secondary school specializing in STEM, serving grades 9-12 through competitive admission. Direct peer in mission (selective STEM-focused public secondary school) and national reputation, though located in Virginia.

Emerging players

• Charleston Magnetic Academy (charter applicants in Charleston metro): Emerging public charter school applicant in the Charleston region focused on academically advanced learners. Potential future competitor for the same gifted-student applicant pool as PSA, though not yet operating at comparable scale.

Regional players

• South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics: Statewide public residential program for South Carolina's high-achieving juniors and seniors in STEM. Comparable mission of serving gifted SC students but operates at the state level rather than locally, drawing from a similar regional talent pool.
• South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities: Statewide public residential high school for artistically gifted South Carolina students. Comparable as a statewide public selective-admission school serving SC gifted students, though arts-focused and residential rather than day-school.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/psaschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/palmettoscholarsacademy
• Xx.com/psaschool

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Palmetto Scholars Academy