Libertas Academy Colleton - Innovation Groundbreaking Ceremony

We are excited to announce an historic partnership between Colleton County, Libertas Academies, and the Charter Institute at Erskine. This partnership will both revitalize a vacant school building, one steeped in history, as well as bring the very first public charter school to Colleton County. This public charter school will be a part of an award-winning network of sister schools that come equipped with proven results in various counties across South Carolina.
In partnership with Colleton County, the iconic art deco building located at 494 Hampton Street in Walterboro will be revitalized and reopened for the 2025-26 school year as Libertas Academy, Colleton. Originally known as the Walterboro Elementary School upon its opening in 1940, the school operated under many different names throughout the years including the Hampton Street Elementary School and the Hampton Street Early Childhood Center. The building last operated as a school in 2003.
After 22 years, 494 Hampton Street will reopen as a school in the fall of 2025 as Libertas Academy, Colleton. The tuition-free public charter school will initially serve grades 4K-6 and will add a grade each year until the school fully serves grades 4K-8. Libertas Academy, Colleton will be a part of the Tutelage School Solutions network of schools, including the founding Libertas Academy of Boiling Springs, which opened in the fall of 2023.
The other schools within this network include Cherokee Charter Academy in Gaffney (opened in 2020) and Greenwood Charter Academy (opened in 2023). Cherokee Charter Academy now is the top-performing public school in Cherokee County with an Excellent school report card rating, among many other accolades. Libertas Academy, Colleton looks to bring that same level of academic accomplishment to Colleton County.
You are invited to take part in this exciting ceremony that will officially kickoff this historic project. The event will take place on Friday, April 19 at 11 AM at 494 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488. This is the current site of the Colleton Civic Center, which will remain in place and work in unison with Libertas Academy, Colleton. For more information, you may contact John Loveday at Tutelage School Solutions (john.loveday@tutelage.education).
We would like to thank everyone on the Colleton County Council for their unanimous support of this historic project