Primary and Secondary Schools in Greenville, The United States

Greenville is a city in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Its public schools belong to Greenville County Schools, which describes itself as the 42nd largest school district in the United States and the largest in South Carolina, with more than 77,000 students. The district has district-wide accreditation from the AdvancED Accreditation Commission. Our directory lists nine of its middle and high schools in Greenville; the list below the text shows them all.

What the schools offer

Greenville County Schools calls itself the state leader in school choice. Besides neighbourhood schools, families can apply to magnet academies with a special focus, and the district offers dual-credit and AP (Advanced Placement) courses, International Baccalaureate programmes and five career centres. Examples from our list:

• Beck Academy (Beck International Academy) is a middle school whose magnet programme combines inquiry-based teaching, eight required subjects and second language proficiency.
• Hughes Academy (Hughes Academy of Science and Technology) brings students into weekly contact with medical professionals and scientists and has a Spanish Immersion Transition programme.
• League Academy (League Academy of Communication Arts) is a middle school with a communication arts focus.
• Carolina High School Academy (Carolina High School and Academy of Engineering and Health Professions) runs a two-year programme with Greenville Tech in which students can earn an associate degree while still at high school.
• Greenville High Academy (Greenville Senior High Academy of Law, Finance, and Business) offers activities such as Mock Trial, Business Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
• JL Mann High School (J. L. Mann Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Technology) ends with a capstone experience that can be a senior project or an internship.
• Southside High School offers the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme in grades 9 and 10 and the Diploma Programme in grades 11 and 12.

Wade Hampton High School and Berea High School complete the list. Several schools list support for students whose first language is not English, such as the ESOL office at Carolina High and the ML (multilingual learner) programme at Wade Hampton.

The IB Diploma in Greenville

According to the district, the IB Diploma Programme is an international curriculum for grades 11 and 12 that ends in examinations. Students take courses in six subject areas, follow a Theory of Knowledge course and complete 150 hours of community service. In the US, the district adds, the IB counts as an honours programme that can lead to advanced standing and university credits.

Exchange students and visas

For a school year at a US high school, EducationUSA points to the J exchange visa, which covers exchange programmes that include high school study. Under the State Department's Secondary School Student programme, students study at an accredited public or private high school and live with an American host family. They must be between 15 and 18 years and six months old at the start of the programme and must not have taken part in a secondary school exchange before. Exchange students may not live with relatives and may not take part-time or full-time jobs. Places are arranged through a designated programme sponsor, not directly with the school. Greenville County Schools also publishes its own Foreign Exchange Student Guidelines.

Frequently asked questions

Can an international student attend a public high school in Greenville?

Yes, for example as an exchange student on a J visa through a designated programme sponsor, living with a host family. Greenville County Schools publishes Foreign Exchange Student Guidelines for these students.

Do schools in Greenville offer the International Baccalaureate?

Yes. In our list, Southside High School offers the IB Middle Years Programme in grades 9 and 10 and the IB Diploma Programme in grades 11 and 12.

What are magnet academies?

They are public schools with a special focus, such as languages, communication arts or science and mathematics, that families can choose through the district's school choice system.

Can exchange students play sports at school?

They may take part in school activities, including after-school sports, but the school district and the state athletics office must approve their participation.