Charleston County School of the Arts

Charleston County School of the Arts (better known as School of the Arts or SOA) is a public magnet school located in North Charleston, South Carolina in the United States.^[1] It was created in 1995 by Rose Maree Myers, who also founded the Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School.

SOA serves more than 1,000 students in grades 6 through 12. Admission to SOA is based upon a competitive audition in one of nine majors: creative writing, dance, instrumental band, piano, string orchestra, theater arts, visual arts, vocal music, and fashion and costume design. In January 2010, SOA moved from its original campus to its new facility, which features one of the finest theaters in the state, The Rose Maree Myers Theater for the Performing Arts.

In August 2010, SOA was joined on its campus by Academic Magnet High School. Both schools were named Gold Medal schools by US News and World Report in its 2012 rankings.^[2]

SOA has also been joined with Charleston County's deaf student population. Deaf students can attend honors, AP, CP, and occupational classes depending on what will be most useful to them. All deaf students are given iPads to supplement their learning resources.

Like their AMHS counterpart, SOA seniors can also complete senior thesis, or receive an SOA diploma by taking classes such as Arts and Humanities, completing a senior thesis and earning 80 hours (20 per year) of community service from 9th to 12th grade.

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