From Channing Anderson – East Point IT Director – East Point Academy opened its doors August 18th to over 800 students as it ushered in ten years of serving students as the premier public language immersion Charter School in South Carolina. East Point Academy started modestly in a former “Sandy’s Hotdog” storefront with 89 students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Today, the school serves students 4k-8th grade across two state of the art campuses. Their success is reflected in their growth with grades 4K-3rd on waitlist status, and grades 4th-8th with only limited openings.

“East Point Academy’s journey was one of perseverance, ingenuity, and inclusion,” reflected Joan Hoffman, mother of two East Point Academy graduates, former East Point Board Chair, and Chief Operations Officer of SC Children’s Trust when asked about the school’s decade of growth. “For ten years, school leaders, staff, parents and students rolled up their sleeves to do what was needed to ensure that children had rigorous academic opportunities, access to a myriad of extracurricular activities,…state-of-the-art school buildings and exceptional teachers and staff. Our children are entering high school with up to four language credits for high school graduation and are three to five more credits in core and elective classes. I look forward to another successful decade of merging cultures and inspiring minds.”

On August 12th, present and past East Point Academy Board Members and school leaders gathered at State & Frink to recognize the school’s continued success. There was much to celebrate; not only is East Point facing record enrollment for the 21/22 school year, but the school was recently named “Best Charter School”  by The Free Times and received runner-up for  “Best After School Program” and “Best Covid-19 Social Media Use.” In addition to new accolades, the 21/22 school year brings the expansion of the school’s Global Focus with the inclusion of a Spanish language track at the Middle Campus.

In honor of East Point Academy’s 10 years of service, the City of West Columbia passed a resolution. Council District 7 Representative Erin Porter, presented the resolution to Head of School Mark A. Bounds and the Board of Directors represented by Member at Large, Lisa Cole saying “I am thrilled to be able to present Mayor and Council’s resolution to the East Point Academy Head of School and Board Members recognizing East Point Academy’s contribution to our City of West Columbia community for the past 10 years. They provide an exceptional option for parents looking for a unique bilingual immersion learning experience.”

“Our motto for this year is “Proud Past, Bright Future,” said Bounds.  “Over the past decade the students, parents, teachers and staff have shown their dedication and commitment to making our school the very best.  We are ready to continue that legacy of excellence forward.”
East Point Academy is a highly rated Mandarin Immersion free Public Charter School that provides rigorous academics with a global focus to students from four-year-old kindergarten to eighth grade. It was named the “Best” Charter School by the State Newspaper, “Best” Private or Charter Elementary School in South Carolina by Niche.com. East Point Academy has limited openings for the remainder of the 2021/2022 school year. To learn more, visit www.eastpointsc.org or to schedule a tour call (803) 926-5180.