Bringing Place-Based Education to South Carolina
The shovels are about to break ground on a new educational option in our area, York Preparatory Academy Kettlesong. But who is York Prep and what does this mean for local families?
The History
York Preparatory Academy opened its doors in 2010 with the goal to provide South Carolina students a quality charter education that would prepare them for success and for life. At their Eastview Road location, York Prep serves 1,665 students each year in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade with the support of over 175 faculty and staff members. Their mission is simple: grow each child (academically, emotionally, and in character) to their fullest potential each year in partnership with their family, teachers, and community.
York Prep’s model of individual student growth has created a track record of success. Since 2010, York Prep has won awards such as the Palmetto Gold Award (2012), School of Distinction Award for Student Academic Growth (2017, 2018), and the Advanced Placement District Honor Roll (2018). In 2018, York Preparatory Academy was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for Exemplary High Performing School being in the top 1% of schools in the United States for student growth. In 2021, York Prep High School was named a 2021 Best High School by the U.S. News and World Report.
Kettlesong Location
Due to York Prep’s success and the 1,000+ student admission wait list each year, York Prep was approached by the state to replicate its campus, providing additional school choice options for students in South Carolina. Researching educational needs in various locations, York Preparatory Academy committed to build the new campus within the Kettlesong planned community due to its location, proximity to the highway, and vision for connection to nature.
"The location of the new campus will provide an answer to the need for a high-quality, innovative choice in education for families living in the Kettlesong, Rock Hill, Fort Mill communities and surrounding communities. With a community focus in connecting families to nature, Kettlesong is the ideal setting for York Preparatory Academy’s place-based education school. In this model, the new campus will allow students time spent outdoors, thus increasing their mental, physical, and social well-being. The Board of Trustees and staff of the district look forward to continued collaboration with the York Preparatory Academy team as they engage in our joint mission of putting kids first.”
- Chris Neeley, Superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District
Place-Based Education
York Prep Kettlesong will continue the tradition of high academic excellence and student growth through a new educational model of place-based education. What is place-based education and how does it fit in the Kettlesong planned community?
Placed- based education is authentic learning infused in the community, where students become critical thinkers and problem solvers by understanding the world they live in. Focusing on their place in their culture, environment, and economies, students learn how to strategically maneuver through complex local and global issues beginning in the early grades and deepening as the years progress.
In place-based education, a student’s learning environment can be located inside or outside the classroom with the emphasis placed on connecting the minds and hearts of students to the interdisciplinary world. On the school grounds, the new 22-acre campus will promote critical thinking and a connection with the natural environment featuring indoor and outdoor classroom spaces, theater-style meeting spaces, and classrooms for group collaboration. The grounds feature a greenhouse, wetlands, orchards, and outdoor learning spaces to grow the students’ understanding of environmental stewardship. York Prep’s teachers and staff will coordinate with local businesses and non-profit organizations to build hands-on learning experiences built around the environment, local cultural, and economic activities fostering their understanding of civic responsibility. Such curriculum and assessments would follow the South Carolina State Education Standards and Law. With the resources of the surrounding community, York Prep will work to develop learners who can grasp these foundational analytical and problem solving skills so that each student “possesses a lifelong connection to their place and the knowledge, skills, and determination to positively impact it throughout their lives.”
"Because of our place, we have a duty of respect and remembrance to those who have come before us. We have a duty of care for those who will come after."
- Brian Myrup, Managing Director of York Prep
Enrollment and Information
York Preparatory Academy at Kettlesong is projected to open Fall 2023 serving grades Kindergarten through 5th, with 6th-8th grade added in subsequent years. As a public charter school, York Prep is open to all students in South Carolina regardless of their zoned district. York Prep will publish information about the application process and lottery information on YorkPrepSC.org. Parent Information Sessions will be offered in the future and dates will be posted to York Prep’s website. York Prep welcomes all families interested in learning more about our exciting new campus! To be added to the York Prep Kettlesong newsletter, please complete the interest form available at the link below.
