Best Public Schools in Zip Code 29203

Summary:

The 29203 zip code area of Columbia, South Carolina is home to 13 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 alternative school, all part of the Richland 01 school district, except for the Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy, a public charter school.

Among the standout schools in the area, Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy has a significantly different student racial makeup, with a majority white student population, and lower proficiency rates on standardized tests compared to the state and district averages, but a lower student-teacher ratio. Arden Elementary and J.P. Thomas Elementary stand out for their high proficiency rates on standardized tests, particularly in 3rd and 5th grade English Language Arts and Mathematics.

The data reveals significant disparities in academic performance between the schools, with some schools performing well below the state and district averages on standardized tests. This suggests that students in the 29203 zip code face significant educational challenges, likely exacerbated by the high levels of economic disadvantage, with all but one school having 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Addressing these issues will require targeted interventions and support to meet the unique needs of each school and community.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SC READY English Language Arts (2024)						SC READY Mathematics (2024)						EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2024)	EOCEP English 1 (2024)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2024)	EOCEP English 2 (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SC READY English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP English 1 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Arden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Ashley Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3400	227	21	10.8	100.0%	1 (0.4%)	165 (72.7%)	51 (22.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.4%)	18.4	539^th of 638 public elementary schools	15.5%		18.9	537^th of 644 public elementary schools	16.6%	2	33.4	37.5	26.5				39.4	31.3	32.4								$21,462	$2,394	$2,113	$4,507	$14,299	$2,656	$16,955
A. J. Lewis Greenview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	726 Easter Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3417	353	24	15.0	100.0%	7 (2.0%)	317 (89.8%)	20 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	17.3	541^st of 638 public elementary schools	15.2%		12.9	575^th of 644 public elementary schools	10.7%	34	48.7	28.6	34.7				41.0	10.2	23.9								$18,461	$2,387	$1,743	$4,130	$11,993	$2,339	$14,331
Hyatt Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4200 Main Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3421	333	32	10.5	100.0%	2 (0.6%)	306 (91.9%)	13 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	6.3	624^th of 638 public elementary schools	2.2%		3.9	642^nd of 644 public elementary schools	0.3%	18	22.0	28.9	31.9				7.3	13.3	19.2								$19,410	$2,064	$1,669	$3,733	$13,273	$2,403	$15,676
Manning High	Public	9-12	502 Beckman Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 935-7203	0	4	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Eau Claire High	Public	9-12	4800 Monticello Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-7600	599	48	12.4	100.0%	13 (2.2%)	498 (83.1%)	67 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.5%)	6.7	226^th of 235 public high schools	3.8%		4.5	233^rd of 237 public high schools	1.7%	7													25.9	35.6	31.8	72.7	$21,310	$1,118	$1,057	$2,174	$15,483	$3,652	$19,135
Pendergrass Fairwold School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	5935 Token Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 735-3435	56	15	3.7	94.6%	9 (16.1%)	44 (78.6%)	3 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Alcorn Middle	Public	6-8	5125 Fairfield Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3439	384	37	10.3	100.0%	8 (2.1%)	297 (77.3%)	60 (15.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.4%)	7.7	319^th of 325 public middle schools	1.8%		6.4	323^rd of 325 public middle schools	0.6%	4				27.7	15.2	23.9				14.2	2.9	7.9					$19,919	$1,288	$1,289	$2,578	$14,357	$2,985	$17,341
Heyward Gibbes Middle	Public	6-8	500 Summerlea Drive	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2942	263	25	10.7	100.0%	5 (1.9%)	242 (92.0%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	11.4	301^st of 325 public middle schools	7.4%		7.5	316^th of 325 public middle schools	2.8%	15				24.7	26.0	36.1				10.1	8.2	9.6					$22,952	$1,778	$924	$2,703	$16,608	$3,641	$20,249
Edward E. Taylor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 McRae Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2974	222	23	9.6	100.0%	2 (0.9%)	199 (89.6%)	11 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.5%)	9.8	606^th of 638 public elementary schools	5.0%		21.7	517^th of 644 public elementary schools	19.7%	89	15.7	38.8	30.0				25.0	32.3	10.0								$21,479	$2,315	$1,979	$4,294	$14,593	$2,592	$17,185
Carolina School for Inquiry	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	7405-A Fairfield Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 691-1250	113	10	11.3	100.0%	7 (6.2%)	95 (84.1%)	2 (1.8%)	3 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.3%)								(n/a)																	$18,985	$833	$939	$1,773	$13,053	$4,160	$17,213
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy	Public, Charter	2-8	6015 N Main Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 900-0664	198	23	8.6	34.3%	104 (52.5%)	70 (35.4%)	10 (5.1%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.1%)	8.8	316^th of 325 public middle schools	2.8%		8.1	315^th of 325 public middle schools	3.1%	1	5.9	2.9	21.9	27.2	34.4	21.7	2.9	2.9	0.0	2.9	0.0	8.6
W.J. Keenan High	Public, Magnet	9-12	361 Pisgah Church Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 714-2500	719	54	13.4	100.0%	17 (2.4%)	645 (89.7%)	30 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.6%)	11.6	214^th of 235 public high schools	8.9%		13.2	209^th of 237 public high schools	11.8%	5													43.7	36.3	24.7	79.7	$18,602	$534	$879	$1,413	$14,198	$2,991	$17,189
J. P. Thomas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6001 Weston Avenue	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3430	302	26	11.6	100.0%	8 (2.6%)	252 (83.4%)	11 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	29 (9.6%)	20.9	515^th of 638 public elementary schools	19.3%		13.8	569^th of 644 public elementary schools	11.6%	54	38.1	39.5	23.1				62.8	21.0	15.1								$19,840	$2,633	$1,738	$4,371	$12,952	$2,518	$15,470
Forest Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 Blue Ridge Terrace	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 691-3780	433	37	11.8	100.0%	16 (3.7%)	309 (71.4%)	84 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.5%)	22.3	503^rd of 638 public elementary schools	21.2%		12.6	579^th of 644 public elementary schools	10.1%	76	36.8	32.8	40.6				44.3	26.3	32.8								$18,587	$2,176	$1,847	$4,024	$12,200	$2,364	$14,563

Cities Near Zip Code 29203

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Columbia	0.68 mi	82	140^th
Blythewood	5.77 mi	10	73^rd
West Columbia	7.29 mi	16	100^th
Irmo	8.07 mi	9	60^th
Cayce	8.12 mi	4	197^th

See the top SC South Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.