Public schools in Columbia, SC
Columbia has 74 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 16 high, 12 middle, 42 elementary, 4 other, enrolling 47,311 students. They are run by 7 districts and agencies; Richland 01 runs 40 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 7 districts and agencies that run Columbia's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Columbia | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland 01 | 40 | 22,037 | $18,992 |
| Richland School District 2 | 18 | 28,510 | $14,024 |
| Lexington-Richland School District Five | 7 | 17,463 | $14,799 |
| Dept Of Correction N04 | 4 | 140 | $70,164 |
| Charter Institute at Erskine | 2 | 22,535 | $20,062 |
| South Carolina Public Charter School District | 2 | 17,601 | $23,863 |
| Dept of Juvenile Justice | 1 | 422 | $27,848 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
16 high schools in Columbia, 11,804 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Valley High | 2,230 | 17.8 | 48.6% | Richland |
| Ridge View High | 1,631 | 16.5 | 59.7% | Richland |
| Richland Northeast High | 1,340 | 13.3 | 69.9% | Richland |
| A. C. Flora High | 1,328 | 15.7 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Irmo High | 1,272 | 11.9 | 100.0% | Lexington-Richland |
| Dreher High | 1,144 | 14.8 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Columbia High | 681 | 12.6 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| W.J. Keenan High | 675 | 12.7 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Eau Claire High | 542 | 11.7 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| SC Whitmore School | 431 | 28.7 | 54.6% | South Carolina Public Charter |
The other 6 high schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. A. Johnson High | 344 | 9.1 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Richland One Charter Middle College | 106 | 23.6 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Kirkland High | 42 | 42.0 | 91.4% | Dept Of Correction N04 |
| Broad River High | 28 | 28.0 | not reported | Dept Of Correction N04 |
| Sara Babb High | 8 | 2.0 | not reported | Dept Of Correction N04 |
| Manning High | 2 | 0.5 | not reported | Dept Of Correction N04 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
12 middle schools in Columbia, 7,410 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dent Middle | 1,059 | 12.8 | 100.0% | Richland |
| Irmo Middle | 992 | 11.4 | 100.0% | Lexington-Richland |
| Crayton Middle | 952 | 14.0 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Longleaf Middle | 796 | 14.3 | 69.3% | Richland |
| Hand Middle | 755 | 12.4 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| St. Andrews Middle | 627 | 10.8 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| CrossRoads Intermediate | 557 | 10.9 | 79.9% | Lexington-Richland |
| W. G. Sanders Middle | 503 | 9.3 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Alcorn Middle | 381 | 12.5 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| W. A. Perry Middle | 320 | 10.0 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
The other 2 middle schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heyward Gibbes Middle | 252 | 9.9 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy | 216 | 9.4 | 36.4% | South Carolina Public Charter |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
42 elementary schools in Columbia, 21,008 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. L. Wright Middle | 1,275 | 14.6 | 64.5% | Richland |
| Summit Parkway Middle | 1,229 | 14.6 | 61.7% | Richland |
| Brennen Elementary | 805 | 14.2 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Satchel Ford Elementary | 721 | 15.2 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Rice Creek Elementary | 718 | 13.1 | 76.1% | Richland |
| Caughman Road Elementary | 715 | 13.5 | 100.0% | Richland 01 |
| Killian Elementary | 699 | 11.6 | 100.0% | Richland |
| Sandlapper Elementary | 671 | 13.2 | 71.3% | Richland |
| Polo Road Elementary | 665 | 13.2 | 79.3% | Richland |
| North Springs Elementary | 659 | 12.4 | 78.5% | Richland |
The other 32 elementary schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
4 other schools in Columbia, 7,089 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC Connections Academy | 6,152 | 23.0 | 38.2% | Charter Institute at Erskine |
| Clear Dot Charter School | 474 | 11.3 | 84.3% | Charter Institute at Erskine |
| SCDJJ Evaluation and Detention Center | 417 | 11.1 | 99.3% | Dept of Juvenile Justice |
| Pendergrass Fairwold School | 46 | 3.3 | 93.5% | Richland 01 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Columbia's public schools compare with South Carolina's
The median Columbia school has 12.4 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the South Carolina median of 13.8. 51% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 50% across the state. Its median school enrolls 494 students (state 554).
| Columbia | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 12.4 | 13.8 |
| Median school size (students) | 494 | 554 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 51% | 50% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 70% | 54% |
| Charter schools | 8.1% | 6.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 74 Columbia schools and the 1,183 South Carolina schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Columbia
- Richland 01Runs 40 of Columbia's 74 public schools and spent $18,992 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,992
- Spring Valley High, the largest high school in Columbia2,230 students in 2024-25, 17.8 per teacher.2,230
- Compare Richland 01 with Richland School District 2Columbia's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in South CarolinaSouth Carolina's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Columbia addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in South Carolina
- Greenville49 schools
- Charleston31 schools
- North Charleston29 schools
- Spartanburg28 schools
- Rock Hill26 schools
- Summerville26 schools
- Myrtle Beach25 schools
- Anderson21 schools
Questions about schools in Columbia
How many public schools are in Columbia, SC?
74 public schools with an address in Columbia were open in 2024-25: 16 high, 12 middle, 42 elementary, 4 other, enrolling 47,311 students. 6 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Columbia?
Spring Valley High, with 2,230 students in 2024-25 (Richland School District 2).Which districts run Columbia's schools?
Richland 01 (40 schools), Richland School District 2 (18 schools), Lexington-Richland School District Five (7 schools), Dept Of Correction N04 (4 schools), and 3 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25