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Learning in Coastal South Carolina

Coastal High School’s leadership team surveys the lovely natural landscape from the school's construction site.

In the fall of 2024, Self-Help provided $10.5 million in financing for the expansion of Coastal High School (CHS) in Myrtle Beach, S.C. CHS will construct a new 29,000 square-foot campus on 5 acres of a 109-acre coastal wildland preserve. The project increases the school's enrollment capacity from 210 to 520 students and provides state-of-the-art learning spaces, including specialized rooms for arts and sciences.  

Coastal High School is known for its focus on hands-on learning to teach critical thinking and leadership. Because the proposed project includes setting aside 104 undeveloped acres of their site as a nature preserve, the expansion will provide unique learning opportunities for students, especially those pursuing environmental education, watershed management and other valuable areas.  

In keeping with Self-Help's priorities in lending to charter schools, Coastal High School demonstrates an authentic commitment to equity in learning, and a devotion to expanding and challenging young minds. The school’s emphasis on environmental education combined with its location within a vital coastal area in South Carolina aligns with Self-Help's focus on protecting our environment wherever we can. We are excited to be part of the success of this innovative school where students can explore ideas, collaborate with others and imagine solutions that can benefit our shared world.

In our charter school lending, we don’t just look for the need. We look for the opportunity. Our charter borrowers — all public charter schools — are deeply connected to their communities and committed to educational equity. They provide top-notch, well-rounded education that considers not just test scores but the students’ overall well-being. With our decades of expertise in the charter sector, we're able to give these schools the financing they need to expand and continue to bring educational opportunity to their communities.