As schools across the country continue to face teacher shortages, alternative certification programs are helping to fill classrooms, including those in Lexington County schools. 

A 2024 report by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement found that 71 of 75 school districts reported a total of 1,613 vacant teaching positions at the start of the 2023-24 school year. 

Alternative certification allows potential educators who hold a bachelor’s degree but did not complete a traditional education preparation program to earn certification and teach in public schools. The South Carolina Department of Education has approved 18 programs statewide, each with its own enrollment process and requirements. 

To be eligible, candidates must hold at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university, must not have completed student teaching in a traditional education program and must not have participated in another South Carolina-approved alternative certification program.

According to the South Carolina Department of Education, most of these programs lead to a professional, renewable certification upon completion.

At Lexington County School District One, the district currently has 74 teachers who hold alternative certificates. Once an educator earns a professional certificate, they are no longer included in that count, according to a district statement.

Lexington County School District Two has shared that it has taken steps to create its own alternative certification program and submitted an application to the state for approval. For the 2025-26 school year, among first-year teachers, 31 are from traditional universities, while 33 are in an alternative certification pathway, according to the district.

Lexington County School District Three currently has six educators completing requirements to receive an alternative certification.

Lexington County School District Four partners with five certification programs, including the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, the Carolina Collaborative for Alternative Preparation, SC Create, the Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE) and South Carolina Teachers for Tomorrow. 

According to district data, 12 teachers are earning certification through South Carolina Teachers for Tomorrow, six through the Carolina Collaborative for Alternative Preparation, five through PACE and one through the American Board Program.

At a board meeting last month, a district administrator said these programs “open doors for professionals with diverse backgrounds, expands recruitment opportunities, supports hard-to-fill positions and provides administrators flexibility in staffing.” 

In Lexington-Richland School District Five, a district official said many educators have earned or are currently pursuing certification through the state’s pathways and will continue to support new initiatives. 

“At this time, District Five will continue to follow SCDE guidance as additional details become available,” the district said in a statement.