GREEN Charter School Spartanburg (GREEN Spartanburg) opened its doors in the 2019-2020 school year. During the 2021-2022 school year, the school enrolled 395 students while serving grades K-8. Our low student-to-teacher ratio of 22:1 allows us to tailor instruction for each individual student, simultaneously challenging the gifted student while offering academic acceleration services for those who struggle to master grade level standards.
GREEN Spartanburg prepares students for life in the 21st century by challenging and directing them toward mastery in areas such as problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. As a result, our students routinely perform in the top percentile on state-mandated assessments.
Our school has experienced tremendous success with its unique educational model which focuses on STEM and environmental sustainability. The inquiry-based Energy and Engineering curriculum at GREEN Spartanburg involves defining a problem, identifying the criteria, imagining solutions, constructing and testing the design, and communicating the results. This process is incorporated into all core subjects taught at our school. Utilizing this model, our teachers act as the facilitators of content knowledge while students become the problem solvers. The rationale behind this inquiry-based approach is to facilitate student-generated questions as a core part of the learning process.
GREEN Spartanburg employs the NEED Project (National Energy Education Delivery System) and PLTW (Project Lead the Way), an Engineering curriculum in educating its students. The NEED Project curriculum provides comprehensive, objective information and activities involving the energy sources that fuel our country and involves studying their economic and environmental impact. Students explore energy from both a historical context and a current one. They explore future energy development opportunities and challenges. They understand that certain energy sources may be better choices for specific energy needs, and they discuss and debate the energy resources we use today and may use in the future. Another important component of the NEED Project is that it continually updates its curriculum.
GREEN Spartanburg also utilizes PLTW in its elementary and middle school classrooms. PLTW's approach involves activity-based, project-based, and problem-based (APPB) learning, and incorporates hands-on, real-world projects that help students understand how the skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied in everyday life. PLTW's programs are comprehensive, and its curriculum is standards-based, while also flexible and customizable, allowing us to adapt it to the needs of our school and our students. A key component of the program is the intensive and ongoing professional development offered through the University of South Carolina.
Using the extensive resources of NEED and PLTW, our school also provides an inquiry-based science program. We offer integrated science in grades K-8, with a focus on building strong habits of the mind and research skills while simultaneously following state-mandated standards.
GREEN Spartanburg employs approximately 50 staff members to serve our students and their families. In addition to 22 K-8th grade teachers, our staff also includes a Principal, an Administrative Intern, two Special Educators, three Instructional Coaches (Literacy, Math, and STEM), a Multilingual Learners Instructor, and three Academic Acceleration Specialists (formerly referred to as Interventionists).
The diversity of GREEN Spartanburg’s student body is an additional asset to our learning community. Our student demographics for the 2021-2022 school year were as follows: 48% White; 11% Asian; 24% Black/African American; 7% Hispanic/Latino; and 10% Two or More Races. 42% percent of the student population participated in free or reduced lunch.
At GREEN, we believe that every member of our learning communities - our students, staff, parents, and leaders - is deserving of a Voice and Choice in academic, social, and professional pursuits. This is a highly prized ideal embedded within the GREEN strategic plan as well as a brand promise of the school’s leaders and its Board.
