Sharing Lockers: Why IOP never needed to build a school of its own

The Isle of Palms is a great place to raise a family. With a wonderful recreation center featuring a one-of-a-kind playground – not to mention lots of sand and surf at their fingertips – kids who grow up on the island experience an idyllic childhood. A big part of childhood is, of course, obtaining an education. So why isn’t there a public school on the Isle of Palms?

Most children who live here attend Sullivan’s Island Elementary School. When the school was established in 1924, there were no residents on the Isle of Palms and its purpose was to educate the children on our neighboring island. A great portion of the student population back then were the children of U.S. Army personnel, since Fort Moultrie was still an active military installation at the time. Before “Sullivan’s Island Graded School,” located on Middle Street at Station 23, was established, the kids took a ferry to downtown Charleston to attend classes at public and private schools there. Even once the elementary school opened, students beyond the sixth grade took the ferry for the remainder of their education. That is, until Moultrie High School opened in the 1940s.

When residential development began on the Isle of Palms in the 1950s, school buses began transporting the newcomers to the Sullivan’s Island school. The building had been enlarged with a wing on either end, but it became apparent that a bigger school was necessary to accommodate the increase in enrollment. Subsequently, a new school was built in 1955 near the beach behind Battery Thompson at Station 21. The original school on Middle Street was sold and became a Presbyterian church. In 2012, the “old new school,” as old-timers refer to the 57-year-old building near the beach, was razed and the current school opened on the same site in 2015.

Today, the school has 500 students and also serves as a constituent magnet for kids who live elsewhere east of the Cooper. Since children of school age comprise only 10% of the 4,350 residents of the Isle of Palms and less than 25% of the 2,000 residents on Sullivan’s Island, it’s not likely that the islands will have separate facilities anytime soon. And why would they, when Sullivan’s Island Elementary has such a good thing going. With a longstanding tradition of meeting the educational needs of children of both islands, its students are in good hands.

By Mary Coy