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Carver-Lyon Elementary

Q: Is Carver-Lyon Elementary a good school?

Carver-Lyon Elementary ranks 490 th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

490^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Carver-Lyon Elementary is a PK-5 school in Columbia, SC, serving 417 students within the Richland 01 district, where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its exceptional resource allocation and small class sizes. With a student-teacher ratio of 8.8:1, Carver-Lyon offers some of the smallest classes in the area—dramatically better than nearby Watkins-Nance Elementary (16.6:1) or Brockman Elementary (14.1:1). The school also spends $29,568 per student, which is 48% higher than Watkins-Nance and among the highest in the district. One bright spot is 4th grade ELA, where 68.4% of students met proficiency in 2025-2026—beating both the district (59.7%) and state (65.4%) averages. Chronic absenteeism, while rising to 22.2%, remains well below several peer schools like Watkins-Nance (40.4%) and Edward E. Taylor Elementary (38.3%).

However, the school faces persistent challenges. Math proficiency remains a significant weakness, with only 23% of 5th graders proficient compared to 49.1% statewide. Despite the high per-student funding, overall test scores still trail state averages, and the school ranks in the 26th percentile statewide—though this is a major improvement from its 9th percentile ranking in 2018-2019. The contrast with Rosewood Elementary, just 2.5 miles away, is stark: Rosewood ranks in the 90th percentile with 85-89% ELA proficiency. Even Brockman Elementary, spending a similar amount per student, achieves a 97th percentile ranking. This suggests that while Carver-Lyon has made real progress, particularly in 4th grade, the additional resources and small class sizes have not yet translated into consistently strong outcomes across all grades and subjects.

417

Students ?

8.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,568

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2100 Waverly Street
Columbia, SC 29204

(803) 343-2900

District: Richland 01

Students who attend Carver-Lyon Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	W. A. Perry Middle
High:	C. A. Johnson High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

72.4%

Hispanic:

14.9%

White:

7.7%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Carver-Lyon Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 37th percentile in 2023 → 26th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (43% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 37th-percentile peak (2023) to 26th (2026)

!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg50%

South Carolina avg58%

490^th of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 27Elementary Schools in the Richland 01

55^th of 75Richland 01 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	25.8	490 of 661	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.4	461 of 639	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	432 of 643	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.7	407 of 644	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.9	460 of 625	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	437 of 622	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	585 of 643	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	549 of 624	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.8	590 of 639	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	17.5	542 of 619	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.9	586 of 638	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	24.2	534 of 630	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	12.6	560 of 599	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.7	557 of 594	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	9.4	572 of 597	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	19.2	530 of 589	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.7	466 of 580	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	10.5	549 of 577	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	10.9	538 of 566	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.3	553 of 559	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	7.6	539 of 557	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	9.9	524 of 550	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	20.0	466 of 542	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.9	263 of 384	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.3	195 of 380	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	66.0	97 of 369	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	78 of 394	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	56.6	146 of 393	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.7	55 of 350	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	26.9	352 of 421	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	326 of 412	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	442 of 599	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.4	349 of 580	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	394 of 568	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	322 of 580	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	378 of 573	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.5	303 of 554	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	441 of 570	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	497 of 634	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.5	444 of 612	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.1	372 of 602	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	358 of 608	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.9	428 of 600	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.1	367 of 580	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.1	540 of 600	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	501 of 588	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	434 of 591	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	493 of 585	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	406 of 571	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	458 of 582	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	483 of 579	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	457 of 561	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	549 of 571	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile~ school

Female (2026)26th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts54%-10 vs state

Science42%-9 vs state

Mathematics32%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carver-Lyon 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 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
Carver-Lyon Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2100 Waverly Street	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 343-2900	417	47	8.8	100.0%	32 (7.7%)	302 (72.4%)	62 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	25.8	490^th of 661 public elementary schools	25.9%		28.4	461^st of 639 public elementary schools	27.9%	29	51.7	68.4	44.6	41.4	33.4	23.0	42.1	$29,568	$2,186	$1,377	$3,563	$22,536	$3,469	$26,005
Watkins-Nance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2525 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 733-4321	499	30	16.6	100.0%	8 (1.6%)	432 (86.6%)	20 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.4%)	10.1	629^th of 661 public elementary schools	4.8%		9.3	607^th of 639 public elementary schools	5.0%	22	39.3	45.3	43.9	29.2	27.0	22.7	25.4	$19,750	$3,013	$1,958	$4,972	$12,406	$2,372	$14,778
Bradley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3032 Pinebelt Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 738-7200	392	33	11.8	100.0%	20 (5.1%)	274 (69.9%)	66 (16.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	22 (5.6%)	34.7	430^th of 661 public elementary schools	34.9%		39.8	380^th of 639 public elementary schools	40.5%	50	44.8	62.3	53.7	41.4	54.7	35.2	47.2	$22,878	$3,074	$1,695	$4,769	$15,499	$2,611	$18,110
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	100.0%	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	$29,701	$2,725	$1,346	$4,070	$22,102	$3,528	$25,630
Burton Pack Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Garden Drive	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 691-5550	255	26	9.8	100.0%	1 (0.4%)	227 (89.0%)	13 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.5%)	14.7	591^st of 661 public elementary schools	10.6%		6.1	627^th of 639 public elementary schools	1.9%	36	36.6	54.2	42.8	20.0	41.2	23.5	29.4	$21,148	$2,039	$1,747	$3,786	$14,686	$2,677	$17,363
Hyatt Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4200 Main Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3421	317	27	11.7	100.0%	9 (2.8%)	280 (88.3%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	15.7	580^th of 661 public elementary schools	12.3%		9.3	608^th of 639 public elementary schools	4.9%	28	56.0	46.2	36.0	52.0	23.0	16.0	15.4	$29,885	$5,348	$1,789	$7,137	$19,560	$3,189	$22,749
Arden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Ashley Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3400	216	19	11.3	100.0%	2 (0.9%)	126 (58.3%)	73 (33.8%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)	17.1	565^th of 661 public elementary schools	14.5%		21.3	520^th of 639 public elementary schools	18.6%	45	37.8	47.3	52.9	40.5	27.7	32.3	30.6	$24,750	$2,750	$1,452	$4,202	$17,462	$3,087	$20,548
A. C. Moore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	333 Etiwan Avenue	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 343-2910	244	23	10.6	100.0%	101 (41.4%)	81 (33.2%)	29 (11.9%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.0%)	68.6	203^rd of 661 public elementary schools	69.3%		57.3	269^th of 639 public elementary schools	57.9%	66	66.7	66.7	64.0	63.8	69.4	60.0	61.2	$27,702	$2,149	$1,300	$3,449	$20,919	$3,334	$24,253
Brockman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2245 Montclair Drive	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 790-6743	297	21	14.1	100.0%	207 (69.7%)	34 (11.4%)	21 (7.1%)	15 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.7%)	96.3	16^th of 661 public elementary schools	97.6%		86.5	73^rd of 639 public elementary schools	88.6%	57	91.9	90.9	100.0	80.6	84.9	76.6	94.0	$29,849	$2,239	$1,349	$3,589	$23,305	$2,955	$26,260
Rosewood Elementary	Public	K-5	3300 Rosewood Drive	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 343-2930	338	26	13.0	100.0%	211 (62.4%)	80 (23.7%)	16 (4.7%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.4%)	87.9	68^th of 661 public elementary schools	89.7%		80	116^th of 639 public elementary schools	81.8%	48	85.4	81.5	88.7	80.0	62.9	71.0	64.8	$19,927	$1,392	$1,173	$2,566	$15,008	$2,353	$17,361

Frequently Asked Questions about Carver-Lyon Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Carver-Lyon Elementary?

Students at Carver-Lyon Elementary are 72% African American, 15% Hispanic, 8% White, 4% Two or more races.

Is Carver-Lyon Elementary a good school?

Carver-Lyon Elementary ranks 490^th of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Carver-Lyon Elementary in?

Richland 01

What schools do graduates of Carver-Lyon Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carver-Lyon Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : W. A. Perry Middle
High : C. A. Johnson High

How many students attend Carver-Lyon Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 417 students attended Carver-Lyon Elementary.

Rate Carver-Lyon 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.