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Arden Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

555^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Arden Elementary is a small PK-5 school in Columbia, SC, serving 216 students within the Richland 01 school district, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

Arden stands out for its exceptional work with its African American students, ranking in the 61st percentile statewide for this group—a 3-star rating that far exceeds its overall 14th percentile ranking. This suggests the school has found effective strategies for this population that aren't reflected in its overall score. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $24,750 per pupil with a low 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio—more favorable than nearby A. J. Lewis Greenview Elementary (15.2:1) and Watkins-Nance Elementary (16.6:1). While overall test scores fluctuate significantly by grade and subject—5th-grade ELA proficiency hit 52.9% while 4th-grade math lagged at 27.7%—the school is showing progress, improving from the 10th percentile in 2021-2022 to its current 14th percentile, and outperforming several neighbors like Edward E. Taylor Elementary (0th percentile) and Burton Pack Elementary (10th percentile).

The biggest challenge facing Arden is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 33.1%—well above the district (26.7%) and state (22.3%) averages. While this rate has improved from a peak of 39.8% in 2021-2022, it remains a critical barrier to academic success. There's also a notable gender gap, with male students currently ranking in the 20th percentile compared to the 7th percentile for female students in the most recent data. For parents, Arden offers a resource-rich environment with small classes and a proven ability to support African American students, but attendance and inconsistent performance across grade levels remain areas to watch closely.

216

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,750

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1300 Ashley Street
Columbia, SC 29203

(803) 735-3400

District: Richland 01

Students who attend Arden Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Alcorn Middle
High:	C. A. Johnson High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

58.3%

Hispanic:

33.8%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Arden Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 33rd percentile in 2016 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (38% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (33% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg50%

South Carolina avg58%

555^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 33% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^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	17.1	555 of 649	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	521 of 640	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	539 of 638	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	537 of 644	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.8	563 of 625	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	598 of 622	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	582 of 643	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	529 of 624	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	494 of 639	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.1	416 of 619	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	24.7	524 of 638	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.3	577 of 630	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	17.1	539 of 599	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.0	464 of 594	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.9	482 of 597	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	16.9	537 of 589	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	13.5	539 of 580	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.5	528 of 577	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.0	515 of 566	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	10.7	526 of 559	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	16.1	505 of 557	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.8	506 of 550	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	11.8	504 of 542	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	147 of 379	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.1	136 of 381	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.4	161 of 369	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.2	230 of 394	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.5	305 of 350	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.6	275 of 421	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.4	289 of 412	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	11.4	546 of 588	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	527 of 570	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	482 of 624	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.8	439 of 613	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	455 of 599	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	446 of 608	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	519 of 600	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.2	544 of 580	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	538 of 600	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	463 of 588	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	468 of 583	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.8	548 of 590	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	492 of 571	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)61st percentile+47 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2019)7th percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts46%-19 vs state

Mathematics34%-20 vs state

Science31%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Arden 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	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
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		2 (0.9%)	126 (58.3%)	73 (33.8%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)	17.1	555^th of 649 public elementary schools	14.5%		21.3	521^st of 640 public elementary schools	18.6%	34	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
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		1 (0.4%)	227 (89.0%)	13 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.5%)	14.8	581^st of 649 public elementary schools	10.5%		6.1	628^th of 640 public elementary schools	1.9%	47	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
J. P. Thomas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6001 Weston Avenue	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3430	346	28	12.3		14 (4.0%)	298 (86.1%)	11 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	20 (5.8%)	15.4	577^th of 649 public elementary schools	11.1%		17.3	545^th of 640 public elementary schools	14.8%	32	48.1	48.7	43.1	44.3	25.6	20.4	28.2	$24,815	$3,835	$1,532	$5,366	$16,819	$2,629	$19,448
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		9 (2.8%)	280 (88.3%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	15.7	570^th of 649 public elementary schools	12.2%		9.3	609^th of 640 public elementary schools	4.8%	39	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
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		8 (1.6%)	432 (86.6%)	20 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.4%)	10.1	617^th of 649 public elementary schools	4.9%		9.3	608^th of 640 public elementary schools	5.0%	9	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
A. J. Lewis Greenview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	726 Easter Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3417	358	24	15.2		1 (0.3%)	325 (90.8%)	25 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	17.3	553^rd of 649 public elementary schools	14.8%		16.6	553^rd of 640 public elementary schools	13.6%		40.4	47.7	52.2	23.9	25.6	41.3	28.8	$22,558	$2,904	$1,712	$4,616	$14,919	$3,024	$17,943
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		32 (7.7%)	302 (72.4%)	62 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	25.8	483^rd of 649 public elementary schools	25.6%		28.4	462^nd of 640 public elementary schools	27.8%	21	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
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		20 (5.1%)	274 (69.9%)	66 (16.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	22 (5.6%)	34.8	424^th of 649 public elementary schools	34.7%		39.8	381^st of 640 public elementary schools	40.5%	43	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
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		0 (0.0%)	188 (86.6%)	18 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)	2.8	646^th of 649 public elementary schools	0.5%		17.4	544^th of 640 public elementary schools	15.0%	102	32.5	20.0	37.0	21.0	5.0	14.8	5.0	$26,586	$3,770	$1,701	$5,471	$17,926	$3,188	$21,115
Carolina School for Inquiry	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	7405-A Fairfield Road	Columbia	29202	Richland County	Richland 01	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 691-1250	114	12	9.5		4 (3.5%)	104 (91.2%)	2 (1.8%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)								(n/a)								$24,883	$1,226	$1,465	$2,691	$15,290	$6,903	$22,192

Frequently Asked Questions about Arden Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Arden Elementary?

Students at Arden Elementary are 58% African American, 34% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Arden Elementary attend?

Students who attend Arden Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Alcorn Middle
High : C. A. Johnson High

What district is Arden Elementary in?

Richland 01

How many students attend Arden Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 216 students attended Arden Elementary.

Is Arden Elementary a good school?

Arden Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.5% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Arden 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.