Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Nursery Road Elementary

Q: Is Nursery Road Elementary a good school?

Nursery Road Elementary ranks 394 th of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

394^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Nursery Road Elementary is a public school in Columbia, SC, serving 471 students in grades PK through 5 within the highly regarded Lexington 05 school district, which ranks in the top 20% of districts statewide.

While the district is strong, Nursery Road currently holds a 2-star rating (39th percentile), a notable decline from its former 4-star status just a few years ago. The school faces significant academic challenges, particularly in math and science. For example, only 35.7% of 5th graders are proficient in math, compared to 51.8% across the district, and 4th grade science proficiency sits at 41.3% versus 56.3% district-wide. Reading scores are closer to state averages but still lag behind district peers. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 100% of students receiving free or reduced lunch, and recent data shows that academic declines have been steepest for students from low-income backgrounds. Chronic absenteeism has also been volatile, spiking to 21.6% in 2023-2024 before improving to 15.7% most recently.

What makes Nursery Road particularly interesting is its resource allocation. The school spends $19,158 per student—among the highest in the area—and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 8.7. Yet nearby schools achieve far better results with less. For instance, Midway Elementary in Lexington 01 spends about $6,000 less per student, has larger classes, and ranks in the 87th–94th percentile. Even within its own district, H.E. Corley Elementary (71st percentile) and Irmo Elementary (65th percentile) outperform Nursery Road. The school also shows a troubling pattern where 5th grade math proficiency (35.7%) is dramatically lower than 3rd grade (50.7%), suggesting students fall further behind as they progress. With strong district support and ample resources, Nursery Road has the foundation to reverse this trend, but current strategies are not yet yielding results.

471

Students ?

8.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,158

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6706 Nursery Road
Columbia, SC 29212

(803) 476-4300

District: Lexington 05

Students who attend Nursery Road Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	CrossRoads Intermediate
	Irmo Middle
High:	Irmo High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

41.6%

White:

34.0%

Two or more races:

11.0%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Nursery Road Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (51% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 35 percentile points since 2016

!Science scores 10 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg64%

South Carolina avg58%

394^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 35 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Lexington 05

13^th of 75Lexington 05 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	40.3	394 of 649	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.2	289 of 640	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	257 of 638	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.3	306 of 644	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.3	285 of 625	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.2	310 of 622	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.8	183 of 643	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.4	167 of 624	73.2%	★★★★☆
2017	73.1	150 of 639	76.5%	★★★★☆
2016	70.4	161 of 619	74.0%	★★★★☆
2015	65.5	173 of 638	72.9%	★★★★☆
2014	53.4	323 of 630	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	63.6	221 of 599	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.5	243 of 594	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.4	146 of 597	75.5%	★★★★☆
2010	77.8	109 of 589	81.5%	★★★★☆
2009	80.8	79 of 580	86.4%	★★★★☆
2008	62.6	229 of 577	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.6	147 of 566	74.0%	★★★★☆
2006	67.9	175 of 559	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.6	152 of 557	72.7%	★★★★☆
2004	70.7	158 of 550	71.3%	★★★★☆
2003	75.3	122 of 542	77.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	265 of 379	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.4	173 of 381	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	163 of 369	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.1	257 of 394	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.4	154 of 393	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.1	93 of 350	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	83.0	42 of 421	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	66.0	107 of 412	74.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	385 of 589	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.6	254 of 581	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.2	179 of 565	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	263 of 580	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.0	245 of 573	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.7	242 of 554	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.1	154 of 588	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.6	106 of 570	81.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	421 of 624	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.8	307 of 613	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.5	248 of 599	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	306 of 608	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.9	269 of 600	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.8	262 of 580	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.3	161 of 600	73.2%	★★★★☆
2018	71.5	147 of 588	75.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	338 of 583	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.4	307 of 586	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	308 of 568	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	323 of 582	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.2	318 of 579	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	344 of 561	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.3	227 of 590	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.0	237 of 571	58.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	228 of 454	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.6	113 of 460	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.3	154 of 441	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.1	148 of 463	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	218 of 455	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.3	222 of 439	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.4	141 of 472	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	71.8	117 of 457	74.4%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)50th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-7 vs school

African American (2026)30th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts59%-5 vs state

Mathematics46%-7 vs state

Science41%-10 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Nursery Road Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Nursery Road Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Nursery Road Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2025)
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 (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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th 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
Nursery Road Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	6706 Nursery Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-4300	471	54	8.7		160 (34.0%)	196 (41.6%)	46 (9.8%)	14 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	52 (11.0%)	40.3	394^th of 649 public elementary schools	39.3%		53.2	289^th of 640 public elementary schools	54.8%	105	55.4	64.0	57.1	50.7	52.0	35.7	41.3	$19,158	$1,770	$791	$2,561	$14,862	$1,736	$16,598
Irmo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7401 Gibbes Street	Irmo	29063	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 476-4200	487	41	12.0		282 (57.9%)	114 (23.4%)	46 (9.4%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.4%)	63.8	228^th of 649 public elementary schools	64.9%		67	211^th of 640 public elementary schools	67.0%	17	75.4	65.8	71.9	72.3	52.1	43.7	53.5	$15,401	$788	$464	$1,252	$12,145	$2,004	$14,149
Leaphart Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	120 Piney Grove Road	Columbia	29210	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-4700	483	45	10.7		137 (28.4%)	241 (49.9%)	46 (9.5%)	9 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.7%)	36 (7.5%)	45.3	347^th of 649 public elementary schools	46.5%		44.6	344^th of 640 public elementary schools	46.3%	3	53.5	68.0	59.2	45.1	55.2	47.3	43.6	$16,698	$1,324	$1,122	$2,446	$12,516	$1,736	$14,252
Harbison West Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	257 Crossbow Drive	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-3800	510	57	8.9		114 (22.4%)	285 (55.9%)	47 (9.2%)	17 (3.3%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (8.0%)	42	380^th of 649 public elementary schools	41.4%		46.7	329^th of 640 public elementary schools	48.6%	51	68.0	66.3	43.6	61.4	43.0	33.8	40.7	$19,019	$1,572	$883	$2,455	$15,019	$1,544	$16,563
GREEN Charter School Midlands	Public, Charter	K-8	7820 Broad River Road	Irmo	29063	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 563-5387	258	26	9.9		54 (20.9%)	156 (60.5%)	25 (9.7%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.8%)	30.2	454^th of 649 public elementary schools	30.0%		23	505^th of 640 public elementary schools	21.1%	51	48.3		66.7	48.2		23.8		$11,689	$1,358	$94	$1,452	$6,954	$3,283	$10,237
Dutch Fork Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	7900 Broad River Road	Irmo	29063	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-3900	442	46	9.6		130 (29.4%)	168 (38.0%)	60 (13.6%)	18 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.6%)	58 (13.1%)	29.7	458^th of 649 public elementary schools	29.4%		31.4	438^th of 640 public elementary schools	31.6%	20	50.8	48.5	49.4	44.5	47.0	40.0	42.6	$18,586	$1,449	$906	$2,355	$14,623	$1,608	$16,231
Midway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	180 Midway Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-0300	856	63	13.6		652 (76.2%)	38 (4.4%)	57 (6.7%)	61 (7.1%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	42 (4.9%)	85.3	84^th of 649 public elementary schools	87.1%		89.1	53^rd of 640 public elementary schools	91.7%	31	85.4	73.9	78.5	86.2	67.3	71.3	63.0	$13,235	$785	$335	$1,120	$10,826	$1,289	$12,114
H. E. Corley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1500 Chadford Road	Irmo	29063	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-4001	557	55	10.1		189 (33.9%)	222 (39.9%)	60 (10.8%)	21 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (11.5%)	70.7	187^th of 649 public elementary schools	71.2%		60.9	247^th of 640 public elementary schools	61.4%	60	76.7	71.6	72.0	75.4	56.7	52.5	50.0	$18,644	$1,553	$710	$2,262	$14,694	$1,688	$16,382
Seven Oaks Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2800 Ashland Road	Columbia	29210	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-8500	522	56	9.3		66 (12.6%)	329 (63.0%)	47 (9.0%)	43 (8.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	31 (5.9%)	19.2	534^th of 649 public elementary schools	17.7%		17.1	549^th of 640 public elementary schools	14.2%	15	52.0	53.3	41.7	41.3	36.4	21.9	31.2	$18,362	$1,567	$860	$2,427	$14,251	$1,684	$15,935
Meadow Glen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	510 Ginny Lane	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-0400	775	61	12.8		439 (56.6%)	58 (7.5%)	80 (10.3%)	153 (19.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (5.8%)	86	80^th of 649 public elementary schools	87.7%		82.1	102^nd of 640 public elementary schools	84.1%	22	74.2	79.4	78.5	79.4	76.8	68.9	65.6	$14,334	$691	$379	$1,070	$11,979	$1,286	$13,264

Frequently Asked Questions about Nursery Road Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Nursery Road Elementary?

Students at Nursery Road Elementary are 42% African American, 34% White, 11% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Nursery Road Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nursery Road Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : CrossRoads Intermediate
Middle : Irmo Middle
High : Irmo High

How many students attend Nursery Road Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 471 students attended Nursery Road Elementary.

What district is Nursery Road Elementary in?

Lexington 05

Is Nursery Road Elementary a good school?

Nursery Road Elementary ranks 394^th of 649 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Nursery Road Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

SCSouth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

SCSouth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Columbia, SC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Nursery Road Elementary!

Latest South Carolina data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 3, 2025

2024–25 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresSep 2, 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.