An enormous charter school is poised to open in the South Carolina Midlands. A local school district is bracing for impact.
The American Leadership Academy, a K-12 charter school network that emphasizes patriotism and moral values, bought the sprawling piece of property in Blythewood along U.S. Highway 21 last year. It had previously housed Policy Management Systems Corp., a long-defunct insurance technology company.
Charter Institute at Erskine superintendent Cameron Runyan told a legislative committee in 2025 that it was expected to be the “largest brick-and-mortar charter school in state history,” with the capacity for 3,000 students…