Makenna Wheeler had always been an eager, accomplished student. With a wry smile, she says, “I used to always raise my hand, every question — even if I didn’t know it.”

Kaylee Holt had always been a strong student, earning As and Bs and making steady progress toward her high school diploma and college education beyond. But then she began algebra and, suddenly, all those plans seemed in question.

Clark County Acceleration Academies (CCAA) began the new year with pomp and circumstance, celebrating the latest class of graduates — 142 young people who pushed through adversity to earn their high school diplomas and move ahead toward college, trade school, military service and well-paying jobs.

A group of graduation candidates and educators from Lowcountry Acceleration and Carolina Shores Acceleration Academies — two South Carolina public charter high schools — joined more than 1,000 other students, parents and teachers in celebrating National School Choice Week at the South Carolina...

On the cap she wore to celebrate her recent graduation from Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies (MDAA), Daniela Arbelaez emblazoned this message: “The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow.”

At her old high school, the crowded classrooms and bright lights felt overwhelming to Ellerie Hamner. And because she has epilepsy, having to get up early each morning to begin a traditional school day jarred her system in a way that sometimes caused petit mal seizures.

At Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy, the learning opportunities extend beyond reading, writing and arithmetic — all the way into the future college and career paths of students, also known as graduation candidates, working hard to earn their high school diplomas.

For each of the 16 graduates celebrated at the most recent Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies (GCAA) commencement, the day represented not an ordinary step in their life journey but instead an extraordinary triumph of their determination.

When Alexiann Edwards moved to Florida from her native Jamaica early in 2023, she wanted to complete her high school career at a different kind of school.