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Riverbank Elementary

Q: Is Riverbank Elementary a good school?

Riverbank Elementary ranks 393 rd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

393^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Riverbank Elementary is a large PK-5 school in West Columbia, SC, serving about 996 students in the Lexington 02 district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has shown a strong rebound recently, jumping from the 28th to the 40th percentile statewide between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, after a couple of tougher years. The most exciting news is the remarkable progress for African American students, who moved from the 34th to the 76th percentile in just two years—a huge gain that suggests targeted supports are working. Low-income students and students with disabilities also saw big improvements, and the school now has a better student-teacher ratio (12.4:1) and increased per-student spending to $16,252.

Academically, Riverbank’s strongest area is 4th grade English Language Arts, where 63% of students are proficient—beating the district average of 54% and nearly matching the state. However, 5th grade math remains a weak spot at 43.1% proficiency, and the school’s Gifted and Talented program ranks at only the 13th percentile, suggesting that high-achieving students may not be getting enough enrichment. There’s also a notable gender gap: boys now rank at the 50th percentile while girls sit at the 27th, a 23-point difference that has widened over time. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism (17.9%) is well below the district average of 26.2%, though it has been creeping up since 2021.

Compared to nearby schools, Riverbank sits in the middle of the pack. Springdale Elementary (61st percentile) and Saluda River Academy for the Arts (47th percentile) both outperform it, while East Point Academy, a charter school, leads the area at the 77th percentile with much lower absenteeism. However, Riverbank outpaces several Richland 01 schools like Sandel Elementary and Edward E. Taylor Elementary. The school appears to be at a turning point—with continued focus on math, gifted education, and supporting girls, it has real momentum to build on.

996

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,979

Per pupil spending ?

70.6%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

160 Cougar Drive
West Columbia, SC 29169

(803) 936-3400

District: Lexington 02

Students who attend Riverbank Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Northside Middle
High:	Brookland-Cayce High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.1%

African American:

26.6%

White:

20.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Riverbank Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 42nd percentile in 2019 → 41st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (52% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg46%

South Carolina avg58%

393^rd of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Lexington 02

52^nd of 75Lexington 02 among South Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	393 of 661	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.1	457 of 639	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	471 of 643	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	435 of 644	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	338 of 625	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.2	366 of 622	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.5	371 of 643	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	92 of 384	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	45.8	207 of 380	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	242 of 369	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.6	206 of 394	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	70.7	79 of 393	79.9%	★★★★☆
2021	59.8	109 of 350	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.3	137 of 421	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.1	76 of 156	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	22.6	122 of 143	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	158 of 174	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.3	122 of 151	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.0	95 of 189	49.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.8	63 of 106	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.7	79 of 104	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	54 of 79	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.0	54 of 72	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	60 of 84	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.3	67 of 84	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.6	83 of 104	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	435 of 599	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.6	486 of 580	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	477 of 568	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	426 of 580	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.4	335 of 573	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.0	344 of 554	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	353 of 588	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.3	186 of 196	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	39.7	80 of 101	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	68 of 82	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.4	77 of 105	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.8	87 of 109	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	126 of 147	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	115 of 159	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.1	130 of 156	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	77 of 114	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	86 of 115	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.5	82 of 115	28.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.8	58 of 86	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	91 of 116	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	283 of 634	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.7	425 of 612	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	412 of 602	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.6	368 of 608	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.3	234 of 600	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.1	312 of 580	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.5	397 of 600	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.8	297 of 591	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.0	383 of 585	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.9	390 of 571	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	379 of 582	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.8	305 of 579	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.9	326 of 561	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	358 of 590	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	181 of 463	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.6	248 of 459	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.9	227 of 446	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.4	249 of 463	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.3	209 of 455	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.5	160 of 439	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.2	197 of 472	58.3%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)76th percentile+35 vs school

White (2026)61st percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2026)51st percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)41st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)28th percentile-13 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-13 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)5th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts55%-9 vs state

Mathematics50%-4 vs state

Science46%-5 vs state

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Schools Near Riverbank Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)						SC READY Mathematics (2026)						SC READY Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	SC READY Science 4th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	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
Riverbank Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	160 Cougar Drive	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 936-3400	996	80	12.4	70.6%	199 (20.0%)	265 (26.6%)	469 (47.1%)	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (5.0%)	41.1	393^rd of 661 public elementary schools	40.5%		29.1	457^th of 639 public elementary schools	28.5%	64	48.6	63.0	54.7				54.8	50.7	43.1				46.3		$15,979	$623	$1,114	$1,737	$12,356	$1,887	$14,242
Saluda River Academy for the Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 Duke Avenue	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 739-4095	400	31	12.9	61.5%	154 (38.5%)	117 (29.3%)	82 (20.5%)	13 (3.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	45.4	351^st of 661 public elementary schools	46.9%		40.3	374^th of 639 public elementary schools	41.5%	23	52.2	67.8	63.4				49.2	41.7	47.6				52.5		$17,712	$808	$1,146	$1,953	$13,086	$2,673	$15,759
East Point Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	Elementary Campus	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 926-5180	724	55	13.1	39.9%	316 (43.6%)	224 (30.9%)	51 (7.0%)	37 (5.1%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	88 (12.2%)	75.9	149^th of 661 public elementary schools	77.5%		81.1	106^th of 639 public elementary schools	83.4%	43	84.3	90.5	70.6	55.9	85.5	73.6	79.1	81.0	51.8	28.8	55.3	63.1	80.0	36.2	$11,641	$219	$559	$778	$8,878	$1,985	$10,863
H. B. Rhame Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Arrowwood Drive	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8900	418	30	13.9	86.4%	15 (3.6%)	362 (86.6%)	19 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	23	516^th of 661 public elementary schools	21.9%		28.6	460^th of 639 public elementary schools	28.0%	56	57.3	55.0	42.6				48.5	34.4	24.6				27.9		$19,707	$1,587	$1,056	$2,643	$14,382	$2,681	$17,063
Sandel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 Seminole Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8906	479	36	13.3	87.4%	7 (1.5%)	375 (78.3%)	59 (12.3%)	17 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.4%)	12.9	606^th of 661 public elementary schools	8.3%		13.6	573^rd of 639 public elementary schools	10.3%	33	33.4	46.9	44.8				27.0	26.6	34.3				28.1		$19,189	$1,548	$1,140	$2,687	$14,074	$2,427	$16,502
Edward E. Taylor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 McRae Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2974	217	19	11.4	91.9%	0 (0.0%)	188 (86.6%)	18 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)	2.8	658^th of 661 public elementary schools	0.5%		17.4	543^rd of 639 public elementary schools	15.0%	115	32.5	20.0	37.0				21.0	5.0	14.8				5.0		$25,069	$1,304	$1,304	$2,609	$19,141	$3,319	$22,460
Springdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	361 Wattling Road	West Columbia	29170	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 739-4175	443	31	14.2	50.6%	238 (53.7%)	83 (18.7%)	80 (18.1%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.9%)	58.3	260^th of 661 public elementary schools	60.7%		63.4	235^th of 639 public elementary schools	63.2%	25	61.6	55.3	73.5				53.8	60.0	56.6				52.3		$16,256	$966	$1,030	$1,996	$11,667	$2,593	$14,260
Logan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	815 Elmwood Avenue	Columbia	29201	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2915	237	22	10.7	57.9%	71 (30.0%)	142 (59.9%)	8 (3.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	54.5	282^nd of 661 public elementary schools	57.3%		41.3	363^rd of 639 public elementary schools	43.2%	81	61.8	71.4	64.0				50.0	53.6	40.0				64.2		$23,992	$1,064	$1,012	$2,076	$18,584	$3,331	$21,916
Seven Oaks Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2800 Ashland Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-8500	522	56	9.3	81.7%	66 (12.6%)	329 (63.0%)	47 (9.0%)	43 (8.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	31 (5.9%)	19.2	544^th of 661 public elementary schools	17.7%		17.1	548^th of 639 public elementary schools	14.2%	4	52.0	53.3	41.7				41.3	36.4	21.9				31.2		$22,300	$1,640	$1,203	$2,844	$14,900	$1,713	$19,457
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	479 Oak Drive	Lexington	29073	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 821-0100	691	56	12.2	51.0%	363 (52.5%)	118 (17.1%)	133 (19.2%)	17 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (8.7%)	46.8	337^th of 661 public elementary schools	49.0%		51.5	301^st of 639 public elementary schools	52.9%	36	71.7	61.4	62.9				61.3	39.5	41.1				38.6		$15,412	$892	$521	$1,413	$12,451	$1,548	$13,999

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverbank Elementary

What district is Riverbank Elementary in?

Lexington 02

Is Riverbank Elementary a good school?

Riverbank Elementary ranks 393^rd of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Riverbank Elementary?

Students at Riverbank Elementary are 47% Hispanic, 27% African American, 20% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Riverbank Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 996 students attended Riverbank Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Riverbank Elementary attend?

Students who attend Riverbank Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northside Middle
High : Brookland-Cayce High

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

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.