At Horse Creek Academy, we help all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by grounding everything we do in our three pillars: flexibility, service, and connection. These pillars shape how we teach, how we lead, and how we support our students and families. We believe that schools are at their best when they function as a community — and our tagline, #WeAreTheVillage, reflects the way we wrap around students together with families, teachers, and staff.

We lead differently at HCA. Our model of collective leadership allows administrators, teachers, and staff to share responsibility and ownership for the work of the school. As Mira Education explains, collective leadership is more than delegation — it unleashes the expertise of educators to generate adaptive solutions, own mutual responsibility, and maximize the impact for every student. This approach strengthens collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, while ensuring students benefit from the collective strength of an entire team.

Alongside collective leadership, we practice the Mindsets of HCA Leaders, a framework created together with our staff to guide how we show up each day. These mindsets remind us to Honor One Another, Coach to Excellence, Hold the Bar, Take Action, and that Clear Is Kind. At HCA, everyone is a leader, and we hold ourselves accountable to model respect, consistency, high expectations, and perseverance in every interaction.

Our work has been recognized nationally in Small Shifts, Meaningful Improvement: Collective Leadership Strategies for Schools and Districts, highlighting the way HCA has built a culture where educators and students alike are seen as learners and leaders.

Above all, we welcome humans. Every decision we make is centered on what is best for students. Our mission is to create an innovative and challenging learning environment that develops the whole learner and prepares graduates with the World Class Skills needed for success in college, career, and life.