Meeting Street Schools are growing and achieving at unprecedented levels, with all four of its public schools earning the highest possible overall rating on this year’s South Carolina School Report Cards.
It’s the first time in the network’s 18-year history that all four schools are “Excellent,” and it’s an accomplishment that few others in South Carolina have earned.
- In Charleston, the only two Title 1 elementary schools to be rated “Excellent” are Burns and Brentwood; nearly 90 percent of Burns and Brentwood students are under-resourced. Brentwood elementary ranked No. 1 among elementary schools for its students’ progress and Burns ranked No. 2.
- In Charleston, the only Title 1 neighborhood middle school to earn an “Excellent” rating is Brentwood. It ranked No. 1 in the state among middle schools for its students’ progress.
- In the South Carolina Public Charter School District, Meeting Street Academy – Spartanburg is the only elementary school to earn an “Excellent” rating; about 90 percent of its students are under-resourced.
“These results reflect what’s possible when you set high expectations for every student and build an exceptional team that shares an unwavering commitment to students’ success,” said Josh Bell, president of Beemok Education. “We’ve made tremendous changes over the past two years, but our belief in what’s possible for students never faltered. These ‘Excellent’ ratings mean our students are being empowered with the life-changing education they deserve, and that leads to more opportunities and a greater freedom to choose what they want to do.”
Some of the hallmarks of the Meeting Street Schools model include:
- Creating strong culture of high expectation and growth mindset for students and staff
- Ensuring a clear, precise and aligned approach to curriculum, coaching and content
- Innovating on organizational priorities such as talent, staffing and compensation
- Building strong family partnerships based on shared responsibility for students’ success.
South Carolina School Report Cards evaluate schools on several factors, including students’ academic achievement and growth in reading, math and science as well as staff and students’ perception of culture and overall experience. For elementary and middle schools, achievement and growth make up 70 percent of the overall rating.
Meeting Street Schools were founded in 2008 by philanthropists Ben and Kelly Navarro, who were driven by a steadfast belief that a child’s zip code should not define their access to quality education.
Meeting Street Schools have made dramatic academic progress during the past two years. In 2024, two of its schools were rated Below Average while the others were Average and Good.
In spring 2024, Meeting Street Schools began a significant transformation with changes in vision, strategy and leadership. This included a new approach to academics, operations and talent recruitment, support and development.
“There’s no magic formula for building an excellent school,” Ben Navarro said. “What matters most is creating a culture where every decision is driven by what’s best for kids. To see that commitment producing exceptional results across all of our schools is incredible. When you put kids first, surround them with people who believe in them and refuse to accept the status quo, remarkable things happen.”
Chief Academic Officer Nisha Vasavada led the design and implementation of a new instructional model where curriculum, coaching and professional development all work together.
“We set out to create a school model where excellent instruction could be learned, supported and repeated in every classroom,” she said. “That meant getting incredibly specific about what great teaching looks like and making sure everything worked together to support it.”
MEETING STREET ACADEMY – SPARTANBURG
Last year, the Academy missed an overall rating of Excellent by a couple of points, so its entire staff was resolved to earn Excellent this year.
School Principal Siobhan Ragan said she could not be prouder or more grateful to everyone who contributed to the school’s success. Teachers and staff work tirelessly to meet students’ needs, parents and families provide invaluable support, and students continue to demonstrate resilience, growth and an eagerness to learn.
“An excellent rating cannot be attributed to one singular thing,” Ragan said. “Instead, it is the result of a shared vision of excellence, an unwavering belief in all students, parents, colleagues and ourselves, and a strong partnership between school and home. It is built on the understanding that student success is a shared responsibility and that when educators, families and the school community work together, we create the conditions for every child to thrive. It reflects the hard work, dedication and commitment of our entire school community.”
MEETING STREET ELEMENTARY – BURNS
Principal Nik’Toshia Flowers said she’s particularly proud that teachers understand that addressing unfinished learning and providing grade-level instruction are not competing responsibilities.
Rather than trying to close every gap before giving them access to challenging content, she said the school identifies what students need, plans support and moves students forward.
“I always say the defining factor in a child’s education is the adult standing in front of them every day and the belief that adult has in their capabilities,” she said. “At Burns, our teachers do not allow a student’s circumstances, starting point or learning gaps to become a ceiling on what that child can achieve. They know the gaps, take ownership of addressing them, and still provide grade-level standards and content with the support students need to access them. We got here because our teachers paired unwavering belief with intentional rigorous instruction, every day.”
MEETING STREET ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE – BRENTWOOD (elementary)
Elementary Principal Mary Catherine Lancaster said she was incredibly proud of our teachers and students for moving Brentwood from an overall rating of Average to an overall rating of Excellent in just one year.
“We’re changing the narrative about what students of color, students experiencing poverty, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners can achieve when we set the bar high and provide the support to reach it,” she said. “At Brentwood, we raise our bar of excellence every year, and our scholars rise to meet and exceed it every single time.
“My hope is that this is just the beginning, and that more Title I schools join us each year. Every child deserves excellence, regardless of their zip code.”
MEETING STREET ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE – BRENTWOOD (middle)
Middle School Principal Roger Michael said the school’s journey through the ratings – from Below Average to Average to Good and now Excellent – represents years of belief, hard work and unwavering commitment to what our students and community deserve.
Families trust the school with their children, and that’s a privilege and responsibility the school doesn’t take lightly, he said.
“Serving a Title 1 community with a high poverty rate and a high percentage of students of color, it is easy to talk about what our students deserve,” Michael said. “It is much harder to look in the mirror as adults, educators and students and believe that those possibilities are within reach and do the necessary work to make them a reality.
“At Brentwood, excellence has been built through grit, grind, collaboration and a shared commitment to getting better every day. This rating is more than a score. It is a reflection of love, belief, and partnership between our families, students, staff, and community, transformed into action. Our journey proves that when belief meets action, excellence becomes possible, and our students deserve nothing less.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT MEETING STREET SCHOOLS
Prospective families who are interested in Meeting Street Schools are invited to our Choose Excellence event on Saturday, Oct. 24. Lunch and childcare will be provided.
