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But less than a year before it's slated to open, the Beaufort County School District still is working to pin down details about who would attend the school and what would be taught.
District officials on Tuesday presented a proposal to the boards of both the Technical College of the Lowcountry and the school district that would make Whale Branch High School a magnet school for students who want to graduate from high school with a diploma and an associate's degree or college certificate after four years.
Most school board members praised the proposal, calling it innovative and likely to encourage students from low-income families to pursue post-secondary education.
Earl Campbell, the board member representing Lobeco, Dale and Sheldon, said he looks forward to promoting the plan to his constituents.
"I will be going to every church in district No. 6 to let them know about this proposal," he said. "I think you're going to see a change in attitude in this community."
The school would draw students from across the county, but in its first year, only about 137 freshmen are projected to attend classes in a building designed to accommodate 650. A new grade would be added each of the next three school years, giving the school a projected 645 students by 2013.
Students participating in the proposed Whale Branch Early College High School would earn credits toward an associate's degree or certificate through the Technical College of the Lowcountry in areas such as electronics, design technology, education and training, criminal justice and health sciences.
If students enroll in summer courses at TCL, they could earn a high school diploma and two-year associate's degree in four years, according to the concept approved unanimously by The Beaufort County Board of Education on Tuesday.
TCL's commission voted 5-0 to approve the concept Tuesday. Commissioners Patricia Green and Sheree Darien did not attend the meeting.
Both boards will re-evaluate the proposal after more details are available.
The school district is still developing specifics of the proposal, including transportation and the majors and courses that would be offered. The district has not yet developed a cost estimate.
"There are lot of different things that still need to be fleshed out," superintendent Valerie Truesdale said to the TCL commission Tuesday morning. "But we thought it prudent to bring it to you now and to our board this evening ... so that you understand the concept."
Any rising ninth-grader in Beaufort County could apply to enter the early college program next fall and begin earning college credits after passing TCL's placement exam, according to the district's conceptual plan. The district will consider busing students from other areas of the county to Whale Branch.
Freshmen zoned for the Whale Branch area would also attend the school. Those who live within Whale Branch High's attendance boundaries who instead want to enroll in Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes could attend Beaufort or Battery Creek high schools, said Sean Alford, the district's instructional services chief.
The school district projects about 137 freshmen will attend Whale Branch High next fall, based on the number of eighth graders enrolled at Whale Branch Middle School and trend data on students who have chosen to enroll in career and technical programs over the past several years.
The district will begin recruiting middle school students for the early college program in October, according to the proposal. Administrators will survey current eighth-graders and their parents to gauge interest.
The community served by the Whale Branch schools is one of the poorest in the state. Truesdale said many of the area's residents are uneducated and have limited access to higher education.
Although the area is rural, it shouldn't be forgotten, Alford said.
"Those kids out there have ability; what they need now is opportunity and structure," he said. "As a school district, we have an obligation to provide both."
Alford said he hopes his son, now a sixth-grader at Beaufort Middle School, will attend Whale Branch High in a few years.
The early college high school will be staffed with faculty who meet both the state Department of Education's criteria for teachers and TCL requirements. Most academic instructors would need master's degrees and career and technology instructors would need industry certification and experience.
About a dozen such programs now exist in South Carolina, Truesdale said.
