Academics
As a school sponsored by the Diocese of Charleston, BSCS adheres to the Diocesan Curriculum Standards (click to view), developed by a team of leading educational professionals. While these standards provide a common foundation, the manner in which they are taught reflects each school's particular community and character. At BSCS, we strive to recognize the individual talents and needs of our students, to foster the passions of our teachers, and to make institutional decisions grounded firmly in our Catholic mission.
True to that mission, the BSCS academic program is centered on the formation of the whole child. Every facet of our program supports the development of clear, confident, and effective communicators — an aim pursued through a developmentally appropriate approach that takes distinct form across each division.
What Makes the BSCS Program Unique:
1. Departmentalization begins in Grade 3. In addition to instruction in physical education, the arts, and Spanish, students in Grade 3 and above are taught by two (or more) academic teachers. This structure allows our faculty to teach within the content areas about which they are most passionate, while offering students the benefit of diverse teaching styles. Through intentional instruction, students also begin cultivating the executive functioning and organizational skills required to navigate transitions between classes — skills that will serve them well beyond BSCS.
2. Our honors mathematics program begins in Grade 6, offering students the opportunity to enroll in a range of Bishop England mathematics courses, including Algebra I (open to non-honors students as well), Algebra I Honors, and Geometry Honors. Eligible students may also enroll in Bishop England's Spanish I course.
3. Grade 8 students demonstrate their readiness for high school–level scholarship through our culminating academic experience: the Capstone Project. This project unites each student's personal passion for a real-world problem with a thoughtful understanding of Catholic Social Teaching, requiring the development of a clear and defensible thesis, a formal research paper, and the cultivation of oral presentation skills.
