Students, parents upset over school closing and program relocation

Greenville, S.C. (FOX Carolina) –

Greenville County School District recently informed parents about the closing of Greenville Early College at its McAlister Square space and relocation of the program by the end of this school year. The looming shutdown of the school, which specializes in helping first-generation students pursue higher education, is sparking fear, disappointment, and sadness among students.

Students Express Disappointment

“I was really devastated, and I felt like crying on that spot,” Alania Hill, 11th grade, said about how she felt when she first heard the news. “This school has something special. It really does,” Imagine Mangrum, 10th grade, added.

“I felt numb the day they told me they were going to close the school down. And after school, I just bawled my eyes out. Cried for three days,” Mangrum continued.

Students said they were blindsided by the news of the school’s closing. “The day before Spring Break started, we were informed that our school was going to be shutting down and closing and relocated to Carolina, Berea, and Southside High Schools. All of the kids were speechless [and] devastated, and so were the teachers,” Caroline Gosnell, 9th grade, said.

Importance of the School for First-Generation Students

The school is invitation-only and offered specifically to students hoping to be the first in their families to go to college. “As a daughter of two parents that didn’t have the opportunity to go to college when they were younger, this is really important to me because it’s giving me a chance to pursue my parents’ dreams of going to college, of building a better life,” Dania Soriano, 10th grade, said.

The program has been a part of the district since 2012. It offers dual-enrollment classes and allows students to take college-level classes at the same time.

Reasons Behind the Closure

“They graduate with either a bunch of college-level credits or a full-on associate degree, which was part of the mission of Greenville Early College,” Tim Waller, director of media relations for Greenville County Schools, said.

Waller said the district made the tough decision to close the school due to low enrollment and budget concerns. According to Waller, the Early College Program aims to enroll 50 freshmen each year – a goal they’ve never met.

Freshman Enrollment Statistics

• 2021-2022: 49 freshman students
• 2022-2023: 41 freshmen students
• 2023-2024: 25 freshmen students

Waller said there is a growing interest in dual-credit programs, and the district wants to expand it to more students. To do that, he said it doesn’t make economic sense to continue a lease on the school’s current space at the McAlister Square property.

Impact on Students

But students who attend Greenville Early College said the school is more than just a school to them. It’s also a safe space. “These teachers actually care about their students. They pay more attention to each people. You could go up to any teacher and ask, ‘What’s this student’s first and last name?’ and they would tell you on the spot,” Soriano said.

Students also mentioned they don’t have to worry about bullying there. “The reason why the parents wanted to come here is that there is no bullying whatsoever. If there was ever anything going on in the school, the teachers, the staff would be ready to correct it immediately,” Mangrum said.

Relocation of Program

Although the school is shutting its doors, the district plans to integrate the Early College Program into three schools: Berea, Carolina, and Southside High Schools. Waller hopes this decision will excite future students.

“At Greenville Early College, they basically had the core curriculum classes with the end goal of going to college. Here at the high school level, at the three high schools, they’re going to have related arts and other offerings that we just didn’t have the space for or the staffing for at this level,” Waller said.

But the students FOX Carolina spoke to said that’s not why they enrolled. “We knew when our parents signed us up what we were getting into for