Elementary Schools in Richland 01

The Richland 01 school district in South Carolina contains 29 elementary schools serving grades Pre-K through 5th (with Carolina School for Inquiry extending through 6th grade), enrolling anywhere from 114 to 805 students per school, and ranking 55th out of 75 districts statewide.

For parents, the standout choice is Brockman Elementary, which ranks 18th in the state (97th percentile) with extraordinary proficiency rates—91.9% in 3rd grade ELA and 94% in 4th grade Science—plus the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at just 1.9%. Brennen Elementary and Satchel Ford Elementary are also excellent, both ranking in the 90th percentile with strong test scores and absenteeism below 10%. Rosewood Elementary deserves attention for its remarkable improvement, climbing 65 positions in state ranking over two years to reach 68th. On the other end, Edward E. Taylor Elementary ranks 646th out of 649 schools with just 5% proficiency in 4th grade Math and Science, while Burton Pack Elementary and Watkins-Nance Elementary struggle with chronic absenteeism rates above 40%.

The most important takeaway is the strong connection between attendance and achievement—schools with absenteeism below 10% all rank in the top 90th percentile, while those above 30% consistently land in the bottom 20th. Mathematics proficiency lags behind ELA across nearly all schools, with gaps widening by 5th grade (e.g., Caughman Road Elementary shows 47.6% ELA versus 20.4% Math). Spending doesn't predict success: Gadsden Elementary spends the most per student ($38,976) yet ranks in the bottom 10%, while top-performing Brockman spends $29,849. The district shows a clear geographic divide, with eastern schools outperforming western and northern ones, but improvement is possible—Annie Burnside Elementary jumped 110 positions in one year, and Mill Creek Elementary rose 51 positions, proving targeted interventions can yield meaningful results.