Elementary Schools in Lexington 02

The six elementary schools in Lexington 02 serve students in the West Columbia and Cayce area of South Carolina, with most covering grades PK-5 (except Congaree Elementary, which serves grades 2-5), and enrollments ranging from 352 to 996 students.

If you are looking for the strongest academic option in this district, Springdale Elementary is the clear standout. It ranks in the 61st percentile statewide (3 stars), which is dramatically higher than any other school in the district. What makes this even more impressive is that Springdale achieves these results with the lowest per-student spending ($15,586) and the highest student-teacher ratio (14.2:1) among the six schools. Its proficiency rates are consistently 10-20 points above the district average—for example, 5th grade ELA proficiency is 73.5% versus the district's 54.5%. At the other end of the spectrum, Cayce Elementary is struggling significantly, ranking in the 8th percentile with 0 stars and the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 29.0%. Saluda River Academy for the Arts offers a solid mid-tier option (47th percentile) with notable strengths in 4th grade ELA (67.8%) and Science (52.5%), and it has shown consistent year-over-year improvement. The remaining schools—Riverbank Elementary, Herbert A. Wood Elementary, and Congaree Elementary—fall in between, with Riverbank showing the second-best absenteeism rate (17.9%) and Congaree showing dramatic improvement in 5th grade math (from 13.2% to 32.9% in one year).

One of the most important takeaways for parents is the strong link between attendance and achievement. Springdale, with the lowest chronic absenteeism (15.8%), has the best academic outcomes, while Cayce, with the highest (29.0%), has the worst. The district's overall absenteeism rate (26.2%) exceeds the state average (22.3%), so this is a systemic issue. Additionally, math proficiency tends to decline as students move from 3rd to 5th grade across most schools, suggesting a need for stronger upper-elementary math support. Finally, the district's 29th percentile ranking masks a wide 53-percentile-point gap between its best and worst schools, so school choice within this district matters greatly. If you can, visiting Springdale and asking about its practices could be very informative, as it proves that high performance is achievable even with fewer resources than other schools in the district.