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Harbison West Elementary

Q: Is Harbison West Elementary a good school?

Harbison West Elementary ranks 385 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

385^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Harbison West Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Columbia, SC, serving 510 students within the highly-ranked Lexington 05 school district.

Harbison West is a school at a crossroads. While it is well-funded—spending $19,019 per student, more than nearby high-performers like River Springs Elementary ($16,673) and Oak Pointe Elementary ($17,966)—and maintains a favorable 8.9:1 student-teacher ratio, its academic performance has declined sharply. The school's statewide ranking has dropped from the 63rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 41st percentile in 2025-2026, a dramatic two-year slide not seen in its peers. The most striking concern is in 5th grade, where only 43.6% of students are proficient in English Language Arts and 33.8% in Math, compared to district averages of 66.6% and 51.8%, respectively. This pattern suggests the school is relatively effective in the early grades but struggles to maintain student growth as they progress. Notably, Irmo Elementary, located just over a mile away and serving a similar population, achieves 71.9% 5th-grade ELA proficiency, demonstrating that the challenges at Harbison West are not inherent to the community but likely relate to school-specific practices.

For parents, the key takeaway is that Harbison West has ample resources and small class sizes but is not currently translating these advantages into academic success, particularly for its most vulnerable students. The school's performance for low-income students ranks in the bottom half of the state (33rd percentile), and chronic absenteeism is climbing (15.8% in 2024-2025, up from 11.8% two years prior). While the school remains part of a top-tier district, families should be aware that its recent trajectory differs significantly from neighboring schools that are achieving stronger results with less funding and larger class sizes. This suggests a need for a closer look at instructional strategies and student support systems, especially in the upper elementary grades.

510

Students ?

8.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,019

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

257 Crossbow Drive
Columbia, SC 29212

(803) 476-3800

District: Lexington 05

Students who attend Harbison West Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	CrossRoads Intermediate
	Irmo Middle
High:	Irmo High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.9%

White:

22.4%

Hispanic:

9.2%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Harbison West Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 42nd 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 20 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg64%

South Carolina avg58%

385^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^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	41.9	385 of 661	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	329 of 639	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.0	239 of 643	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	266 of 644	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	236 of 625	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.9	247 of 622	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	293 of 643	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	260 of 624	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	70.7	167 of 639	73.9%	★★★★☆
2016	61.4	236 of 619	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.8	138 of 638	78.4%	★★★★☆
2014	55.3	301 of 630	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.5	303 of 599	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.8	364 of 594	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.0	408 of 597	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.8	438 of 589	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	12.8	540 of 580	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	27.7	472 of 577	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.3	472 of 566	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.5	432 of 559	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	46.1	340 of 557	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	56.8	253 of 550	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2003	69.9	163 of 542	69.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	265 of 384	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.2	196 of 380	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.4	142 of 369	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.0	133 of 394	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.6	77 of 393	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	66.1	81 of 350	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	51.5	202 of 421	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.5	202 of 412	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	23.3	94 of 122	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	59.5	63 of 189	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.2	25 of 161	84.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	339 of 599	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.2	293 of 580	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.4	203 of 568	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	253 of 580	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.5	207 of 573	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.2	170 of 554	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.1	311 of 588	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.2	279 of 570	51.1%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.3	81 of 196	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.2	11 of 147	92.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	427 of 634	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.2	355 of 612	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.4	317 of 602	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	343 of 608	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.7	328 of 600	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.4	272 of 580	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.3	383 of 600	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	360 of 588	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.3	372 of 591	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.9	336 of 585	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.5	260 of 571	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.8	247 of 582	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	257 of 579	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.0	284 of 561	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.7	266 of 590	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.7	234 of 571	59.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	123 of 463	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	68.7	144 of 459	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	87.6	33 of 463	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	84.1	60 of 455	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	85.4	50 of 439	88.6%	★★★★☆
2019	89.1	33 of 472	93.0%	★★★★★
2018	87.3	45 of 457	90.2%	★★★★★

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)73rd percentile+32 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)59th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)37th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-9 vs school

African American (2026)31st percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2021)23rd percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts60%-4 vs state

Mathematics46%-7 vs state

Science41%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harbison West 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 (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 (2024)	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
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	100.0%	114 (22.4%)	285 (55.9%)	47 (9.2%)	17 (3.3%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (8.0%)	41.9	385^th of 661 public elementary schools	41.8%		46.7	329^th of 639 public elementary schools	48.5%	56	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
Irmo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7401 Gibbes Street	Irmo	29063	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 476-4200	487	41	12.0	48.0%	282 (57.9%)	114 (23.4%)	46 (9.4%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.4%)	63.7	234^th of 661 public elementary schools	64.6%		67	211^th of 639 public elementary schools	67.0%	23	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
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	68.6%	54 (20.9%)	156 (60.5%)	25 (9.7%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.8%)	30.1	460^th of 661 public elementary schools	30.4%		23	504^th of 639 public elementary schools	21.1%	44	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	86.7%	130 (29.4%)	168 (38.0%)	60 (13.6%)	18 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.6%)	58 (13.1%)	29.7	464^th of 661 public elementary schools	29.8%		31.4	437^th of 639 public elementary schools	31.6%	27	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
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	100.0%	160 (34.0%)	196 (41.6%)	46 (9.8%)	14 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	52 (11.0%)	40.2	400^th of 661 public elementary schools	39.5%		53.2	289^th of 639 public elementary schools	54.8%	111	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
Leaphart Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	120 Piney Grove Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 476-4700	483	45	10.7	100.0%	137 (28.4%)	241 (49.9%)	46 (9.5%)	9 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.7%)	36 (7.5%)	45.2	354^th of 661 public elementary schools	46.4%		44.6	344^th of 639 public elementary schools	46.2%	10	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
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	62.9%	189 (33.9%)	222 (39.9%)	60 (10.8%)	21 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (11.5%)	70.5	190^th of 661 public elementary schools	71.3%		60.9	247^th of 639 public elementary schools	61.3%	57	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
Pine Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Huffstetler Drive	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 214-2380	501	39	12.8	100.0%	37 (7.4%)	369 (73.7%)	55 (11.0%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.2%)	16.6	570^th of 661 public elementary schools	13.8%		13.2	576^th of 639 public elementary schools	9.9%	6	49.2	43.3	51.7				41.2	17.0	32.7				26.7		$20,151	$2,457	$1,457	$3,913	$13,954	$2,284	$16,237
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	100.0%	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		$18,362	$1,567	$860	$2,427	$14,251	$1,684	$15,935
River Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	115 Connie Wright Road	Irmo	29063	Richland County	Lexington 05	No	No	No	No	(803) 476-4400	416	41	10.1	42.7%	252 (60.6%)	79 (19.0%)	41 (9.9%)	11 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (7.7%)	78.2	135^th of 661 public elementary schools	79.6%		77	141^st of 639 public elementary schools	77.9%	6	79.0	79.4	75.3				76.3	66.2	46.6				63.3		$16,673	$710	$535	$1,245	$13,725	$1,703	$15,428

Frequently Asked Questions about Harbison West Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Harbison West Elementary?

Students at Harbison West Elementary are 56% African American, 22% White, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Harbison West Elementary in?

Lexington 05

How many students attend Harbison West Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 510 students attended Harbison West Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Harbison West Elementary attend?

Students who attend Harbison West Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

Is Harbison West Elementary a good school?

Harbison West Elementary ranks 385^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Harbison West Elementary!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 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.