Authorized by Voorhees University · First in the Nation

A School Built for a World That Keeps Changing

A tuition-free public school opening Fall 2027 in Columbia, South Carolina. The first in the country to be authorized by a Historically Black College or University.

Nobody can tell you what Columbia's economy looks like in 2040. The industries that anchor this city today have shifted before, and they'll shift again. The students who thrive in that world won't be the ones with the most specific training. They'll be the ones who learned to think.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics sit at the core of everything we do. Our founding career pathways are in STEM fields including health sciences, advanced manufacturing, and information technology. Not because those are the only careers worth having, but because they are among the most demanding fields a student can learn in.

Every graduate leaves with a college acceptance in one hand and a job offer in the other. The choice between them is theirs to make.

See Upcoming Events →

Part of the Rooted School Foundation Network

A proven model serving students across multiple cities. Same commitment to excellence. Same North Star: every graduate with a college acceptance and a job offer.

The North Star
Every Graduate Leaves with a College Acceptance and a Job Offer
Not a promise for some. A promise for all.
6–12

A 6–12 Continuum

One school, one community from middle through high school. Same teachers, same advisors, same pathway mentors over the long arc of a student's growth.

250+

Work-Based Learning Hours

Real workplace experiences built into the program.

★

Industry Partners in the Building

Healthcare, manufacturing, and IT professionals help design and validate student work.

The Rooted Standard
100%
College Acceptance Rate
100%
Job Offer Upon Graduation
250+
Work-Based Learning Hours
15:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
Achieved at Rooted School New Orleans, Class of 2024. The promise we hold ourselves to in Columbia.
Our Model

The Double Helix of Learning

College and career are not parallel tracks at C.R. Neal Academy. They are braided strands. Academic preparation and industry pathway, intertwined from 6th grade forward.

Every graduate carries both. The same student takes college-prep coursework and earns credentials of value. The same student writes a college essay and completes 250 hours of paid work-based learning. The same student walks into senior year with a college acceptance and a job offer in hand.

Not a "choose one" school. The Double Helix is the design.

Strand One
College-prep academics built around Problem-Based Learning and Advisory.
Strand Two
STEM career pathways with credentials of value and paid work experience.
The Double Helix of Learning model — college preparation and career pathway braided as two intertwined strands
The Rooted Model
Voorhees University Charter Institute of Learning seal
Authorized By
Voorhees University
Charter Institute of Learning · Denmark, SC
A Historic First

The First and Only School in the Nation Authorized by an HBCU.

C.R. Neal Academy is the first public charter school in the United States authorized by a Historically Black College or University. Our authorizer is Voorhees University, a South Carolina HBCU founded in 1897.

That history matters. Voorhees holds us accountable for academic outcomes, fiscal stewardship, and our service to the communities we exist to serve. Authorization by a Black-led institution with that lineage is itself a statement about who this school is for and what we expect of ourselves.

If you live in Columbia and have a rising 6th- or 9th-grader, this school was built for you.

STEM Career Pathways

STEM Pathways. One Standard: Excellence.

STEM fields include health sciences, advanced manufacturing, and information technology. These are our founding career pathways. As the school grows and our community shapes what's next, the lineup will grow with it.

Students in a clinical simulation lab

Health Sciences

Students prepare for careers in nursing, patient care, medical assisting, and clinical support roles through hands-on simulations and partnerships with Columbia healthcare systems.

Certified Nursing Assistant · Patient Care Tech
Students working with CAD software and CNC machining

Advanced Manufacturing

Students learn the precision skills that drive South Carolina's manufacturing economy: CNC machining, CAD design, robotics, and quality control. Their work is built alongside Columbia-area manufacturers across the Midlands.

CNC Machining · Mechatronics
Students coding and working with server hardware

Information Technology

Students build systems, troubleshoot networks, and solve technical problems for clients, developing the adaptability IT careers demand.

CompTIA A+ · Network Support
What Learning Looks Like

The Work Builds the Community

Relationships are built in the work. When students tackle a real problem together, defend their thinking in front of a panel, or watch a teammate revise and succeed, something lasting takes root.

Middle School · Engineering

The Boat Build

Students receive a budget, a weight limit, and a body of water. Their job: design a vessel that floats, carries the most weight, and survives a stress test. Over four weeks, they research hull geometry, run load calculations, test materials, revise their designs, and present to a panel of industry partners. There is no answer key. There is only the water.
Skills Developed
Engineering design process Mathematical reasoning Iterative problem solving Team accountability
Health Sciences · Clinical Reasoning

The Diagnosis

Students receive a patient case file: symptoms, vitals, lab results, patient history. Working in clinical teams, they develop a differential diagnosis and care recommendation. Every decision has to be documented and defended. They present to a panel that includes a nurse practitioner from one of our healthcare partners. Real patient cases, evaluated by working clinicians.
Skills Developed
Clinical reasoning Documentation literacy Evidence-based decisions Professional communication
Information Technology · Robotics

The Relay

Students build and program a small robot and compete in teams on a relay course. Based on the course design, they choose between AI-assisted navigation and manual remote control, and they live with that call when the race starts. When it's over, local IT professionals sit down with each team for a post-race interview: What did you decide? Why? What would you do differently? The robot runs the course. The team owns the decision.
Skills Developed
Systems design Coded logic AI decision making Strategic thinking Technical communication
The Advisory Model

Every Student Has Someone Who Knows Them

Academic confidence has to be paired with belonging. Our advisory structure is how we make sure no student falls through.

01

Small, Close-Knit Groupings

Advisory groups are deliberately small. Every student has a dedicated adult who knows their academic progress, their goals, their struggles, and what they need to show up at their best. A structured curriculum, built around social-emotional development and career exploration, gives the advisory relationship substance.

02

Deliberate Daily Community Building

Advisory is structured, daily, and intentional. It builds the trust between students that makes the hard academic work possible.

03

Whole-Character Support

Advisors support students academically, personally, and professionally. When a student is struggling, in the classroom or outside of it, there is an adult who already knows them well enough to help.

04

Confidence That Travels

Student-led conferences bring together the advisor, the family, and the student as a team. They review progress, set goals, and hold each other accountable. Students learn to advocate for themselves, track their own growth, and name what they need. That skill travels with them into every environment they enter after C.R. Neal Academy.

Students who feel known perform differently. Not just in school, but in every post-secondary environment they enter.

Advisory is the structure that holds academic confidence in place when students leave the classroom.

Leadership

Built by People Who Have Done This Before

Lalah S. Radney

Lalah S. Radney

Founding Executive Director & School Leader

Lalah S. Radney is an educator with over a decade of experience in K–16 and higher education, building pathways to economic mobility for first-generation and low-income students. A proud Columbia community member, her career began at Seton Hall University working with first-generation college students. Before joining Rooted School Foundation, she served as Executive Director of Special Populations at Louisiana State University, where she led initiatives that achieved a 97.2% retention rate for high-need students and scaled university programs by over 350%. Prior to LSU, she directed the K–16 College Readiness division at Harlem Children's Zone, managing a multimillion-dollar portfolio that provided over $200 million in scholarships and increased college matriculation rates by 10%. She holds master's degrees in School Counseling and Strategic Communication.

Vision Education is the bridge between potential and prosperity. My mission is to end intergenerational poverty by creating pathways that help students change their story, one degree, one career, and one generation at a time.
Jonathan Johnson

Jonathan Johnson

CEO, Rooted School Foundation

Jonathan Johnson is the founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation, a nonprofit network of four schools across four states focused on increasing upward mobility for young people faster than local projections. He founded Rooted School New Orleans, a public charter high school where students graduate with a college acceptance in one hand and a job offer in the other. The model has been recognized by the Center for Reinventing Public Education and Transcend Education as one of the most innovative in the country. Jonathan also leads The $50 Study, the first and most extensive randomized control trial exploring the impact of direct cash transfers to youth through schools, in partnership with the University of Tennessee–Knoxville and the Center for Guaranteed Income. An Aspen Economic Opportunity Fellow, he holds a BA in Religious Studies from Chapman University.

Steven Carney

Steven Carney

Sr. Director of Growth & Innovation, Rooted School Foundation

Steven Carney leads new school growth, authorization, and support across the Rooted School Foundation network. His work is grounded in evidence-based practice, high-quality implementation, and equity, inclusion, and justice in education. At Rooted School Foundation, he uses Implementation Science to translate Rooted's promise (that every graduate leaves with a college acceptance in one hand and a job offer in the other) into reality across communities. Steven has founded and led schools including Rooted School Vancouver and the nationally ranked Western Sierra Collegiate Academy. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Education from San Diego State University and a Master's in Organizational Leadership from National University.

Founding Board of Directors

Stewards of the Mission

Our board brings together leaders from education, healthcare, business, faith, law, and policy across South Carolina. Each was selected for their roots in the communities C.R. Neal Academy will serve, their professional expertise, and their shared conviction that every young person deserves a school that prepares them for both economic opportunity and a meaningful life.

Authorized by Voorhees Charter Institute of Learning · The First HBCU-Authorized Charter School in the United States

Below is our founding planning slate. Formal board election follows full authorization.

Board Chair
Randall Mack Jackson, D.Min.
Faith & Community Leadership
Bible Way Church of Atlas Road · Midlands Technical College · Columbia, SC

Two decades of community leadership as a pastor, educator, and civic servant. Assistant Pastor of Bible Way Church of Atlas Road and Board Chair of Midlands Technical College. Former Dean of Students at Allen University. Doctor of Ministry from Columbia International University. He anchors C.R. Neal Academy's community relationships in Columbia.

Pending formal board election
Vice Chair
Clarence Davis, Esq.
Law & Charter Governance
Attorney at Law · U.S. Air Force (Ret.) · Columbia, SC

Attorney and U.S. Air Force Captain (Ret.) who served as Vice Chair of C.R. Neal Academy's founding planning committee, playing a central role in the school's authorization and governance design. J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Provides legal oversight on compliance and governance.

Confirmed · Planning Committee Vice Chair
Treasurer
Marcus Neal, A.B.
Mathematics, STEM & Community Finance
Hammond School · Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative · Columbia, SC

Princeton-trained mathematician with 21+ years teaching at Hammond School. Treasurer of the Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative, the namesake organization of C.R. Neal Academy. His connection to the founding mission is personal. Longtime coach of South Carolina's ARML math competition team.

Pending formal board election
Secretary
DeAnne Raven Gray
Public Policy & Government Finance
SC Senate Office of Research · SC State Budget and Control Board (Ret.) · Gaston, SC

Nearly three decades of state government experience. Former Director of Minority Research for the South Carolina Senate and Senior Policy Analyst at the SC State Budget and Control Board. Career dedicated to policy equity and the intersection of government finance and community impact. B.A. in Business Administration from Columbia College.

Pending formal board election
Board Member
Angela W. Peters, Ph.D.
Higher Education Policy & Science
SC Commission on Higher Education · Voorhees University (Former Provost) · Columbia, SC

Scientist, administrator, and policy leader. Director at the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and former Provost at Voorhees University, the HBCU that authorized C.R. Neal Academy. Ph.D. in Biochemistry from USC; executive leadership training through Harvard.

Pending formal board election
Board Member
Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
Higher Education & Institutional Strategy
University of South Carolina · School of Journalism and Mass Communications · Columbia, SC

Three+ decades of leadership at USC. Former VP for System Planning (2015–2019) and Interim Chancellor of USC Upstate (2016–2017). Currently a Professor in USC's School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Deep expertise in educational strategy, regional systems, and South Carolina's higher education landscape.

Pending formal board election
Board Member
Felisa Grant McDavid, Ed.S.
K–12 Education Leadership
K–12 School Leadership Executive · Myrtle Beach, SC

Award-winning educator with 25+ years as a principal and instructional leader across elementary, middle, and high school settings in South Carolina. National Blue Ribbon Award honoree. Ed.S. from Albany State University; M.Ed. from Cambridge College; B.A. from the College of Charleston. Practitioner expertise in school culture, curriculum, and equitable outcomes.

Pending formal board election
Board Member
Thibaut Delloue, M.A.
Charter Policy & School Operations
Florida Charter Institute · Meeting Street Schools (Former) · Charleston, SC

Charter policy fellow and operations leader. Former Associate Director of Operations at Meeting Street Schools, supporting a high-performing charter network serving students with diverse learning needs. Currently a Policy Fellow at the Florida Charter Institute. M.A. in Education from Stanford; summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire.

Pending formal board election
Board Member
Chris Eide Azevedo, Ed.M.
Education Systems & Nonprofit Leadership
Meeting Street Academy · Topminnow · North Charleston, SC

Systems-level education leader. Executive Director of Meeting Street Academy and Founding Partner of Topminnow, a school and organizational effectiveness consultancy. Pahara Fellow, Aspen Education Fellow, and Teach For America 'Game Changer.' Ed.M. from Harvard; Stanford EdLEADers Certificate; dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington.

Pending formal board election
Board Member
Andrea Black Evans, M.Ed.
Leadership Development & Urban Education
Surge Academy · Surge Institute · National

Nationally recognized education leader dedicated to developing educators of color and expanding opportunity for students from under-resourced communities. Executive Director of Surge Academy and the Surge Institute. Teach For America alum and former principal in Chicago Public Schools. M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Pending formal board election
"

The first time I sat with a family in Columbia and asked what they wanted for their child, they didn't hesitate. "I want my child to have options."

As a parent, I understood. My two daughters learn differently, and like so many families, I've searched for a school that builds around who children are, not one that forces them into a mold.

C.R. Neal Academy is that school. A place where graduation isn't the end, but the beginning. Where students leave with options, a clear path forward, and the foundation to build the life they choose.

Lalah S. Radney, M.A., M.Ed. · Executive Director, Rooted School Columbia

Our Columbia Community & Industry Partners

These organizations help design our curriculum, validate student work, and provide work-based learning opportunities.

Community Events

Where to Find Us

Between now and Fall 2027, you'll find us across Columbia at info sessions, office hours, virtual Q&As, and community gatherings. Come ask questions. Meet our founding team. Bring a neighbor.

Save the Date

Enrollment opens October 2026 for our inaugural Fall 2027 cohort.

Mark Your Interest
Common Questions

Things Families Ask Most

Is C.R. Neal Academy really tuition-free?
Yes. C.R. Neal Academy is a tuition-free public charter school open to all students living in our enrollment area. There are no application fees, tuition, or hidden costs.
When does enrollment open and how do I apply?
Enrollment opens October 2026 for our inaugural Fall 2027 cohort. We open with two founding grades, 6th and 9th, and will accept applications from students currently in 5th and 8th grade. Mark your interest below to be the first to know when applications go live.
What does it mean to be authorized by an HBCU?
C.R. Neal Academy is the first public charter school in the United States authorized by a Historically Black College or University. Our authorizer is Voorhees University, a South Carolina HBCU founded in 1897. Voorhees holds us accountable for academic outcomes, fiscal stewardship, and our service to the communities we serve.
What is the 6–12 continuum?
C.R. Neal Academy serves grades 6 through 12 inside one school, not as a separate middle school and high school. Most students will be with the same teachers, advisors, and pathway mentors across multiple years. Pathway exploration starts in 6th grade. The continuum is by design. It lets students build deep relationships, develop their pathway over time, and avoid the transition jolt of switching schools at the start of 9th grade. By Fall 2030 the school will be a full 6–12 continuum.
What pathways will be available?
STEM is at the foundation of the school. Our founding career pathways include Health Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, and Information Technology. Each pathway combines academic rigor with real-world experience and credentials of value. As the school grows, we expect the pathway lineup to grow with it.
How can I stay informed?
Mark your interest below, follow us on social media, or attend one of our upcoming community events. Our team is also available by phone and email for individual questions.

Phone

Coming soon

Email

info@rootedschoolcola.org

Follow Along

Instagram · Facebook

Enrollment Opens October 2026

Mark your interest below and we'll keep you informed as enrollment opens. Our founding Fall 2027 cohort is for students currently in 5th and 8th grade. Families with younger students are welcome to share their interest now. The school grows one grade per year on each side until we reach a full 6–12 continuum in Fall 2030.

Or come meet us in person

We hold info sessions, virtual Q&As, office hours, and community events across Columbia between now and Fall 2027. See upcoming events ↑