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South Kilbourne Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
490th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 23% of South Carolina elementary schools
Summary

South Kilbourne Elementary is a public elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina, serving 289 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Richland 01 school district, which is ranked 52 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the school's higher per-student spending and relatively low student-teacher ratio, South Kilbourne Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Kilbourne Elementary's academic performance is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were 36.1% and 38.9% for 3rd grade, compared to 53.9% and 46.7% for the district, and 61.8% and 56.3% for the state. Nearby schools, such as Brockman Elementary and Rosewood Elementary, have significantly higher proficiency rates, with Brockman Elementary ranking in the top 10% of South Carolina elementary schools.

The school's high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds and the higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 31.1% over the past few years, may be contributing factors to the academic underperformance. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and implementing targeted interventions and support to address the unique challenges faced by these student populations could be crucial steps in improving educational outcomes at South Kilbourne Elementary.

234
Students ?
11.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$21,174
Per pupil spending ?
100%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1400 South Kilbourne Road
       Columbia, SC  29205

(803) 738-7215

District: Richland 01


Students who attend South Kilbourne Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Hand Middle
High:    Dreher High
Racial breakdown:

African American:
69.2%
Hispanic:
13.7%
White:
9.8%
more
 See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

 Compare South Kilbourne Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 6th percentile in 2021 → 23rd in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is rebounding — up to 23rd (2025) from a 6th-percentile low (2021)
Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the South Carolina average (41% vs 56% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 22% South Carolina)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school41%
District avg48%
South Carolina avg56%
490th of 640
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 23%▼ down 31 pts since 2015
From top 46% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
14th of 27Elementary Schools in the Richland 01
52nd 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202525.2490 of 64023.4%★☆☆☆☆
202421.2510 of 63820.1%★☆☆☆☆
202317.3547 of 64415.1%★☆☆☆☆
202218.3515 of 62517.6%★☆☆☆☆
20219.4584 of 6226.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201931.7442 of 64331.3%★★☆☆☆
201838.6380 of 62439.1%★★☆☆☆
201741.9373 of 63941.6%★★☆☆☆
201666.7194 of 61968.7%★★★☆☆
201551.6292 of 63854.2%★★★☆☆
201458.4275 of 63056.3%★★★☆☆
201361.9238 of 59960.3%★★★☆☆
201256.9284 of 59452.2%★★★☆☆
201168.4186 of 59768.8%★★★☆☆
201062.4216 of 58963.3%★★★☆☆
200952.8294 of 58049.3%★★☆☆☆
200838.4401 of 57730.5%★★☆☆☆
200736.5410 of 56627.6%★☆☆☆☆
200636.8397 of 55929.0%★☆☆☆☆
200531.1426 of 55723.5%★☆☆☆☆
200419.5485 of 55011.8%★☆☆☆☆
200333.7392 of 54227.7%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202546.4206 of 38145.9%★★☆☆☆
202432.8258 of 36930.1%★★☆☆☆
202332.0287 of 39427.2%★☆☆☆☆
202238.7238 of 39339.4%★★☆☆☆
202121.0311 of 35011.1%★☆☆☆☆
201952.2199 of 42152.7%★★★☆☆
201869.690 of 41278.2%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202526.0445 of 58123.4%★☆☆☆☆
202423.3447 of 56520.9%★☆☆☆☆
202324.5453 of 58021.9%★☆☆☆☆
202223.6438 of 57323.6%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202532.3435 of 61329.0%★☆☆☆☆
202427.1456 of 59923.9%★☆☆☆☆
202320.4513 of 60815.6%★☆☆☆☆
202225.8464 of 60022.7%★☆☆☆☆
202110.4555 of 5804.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201946.3344 of 60042.7%★★☆☆☆
201849.0293 of 58850.2%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202315.1509 of 58212.5%★☆☆☆☆
202214.2506 of 57912.6%★☆☆☆☆
201921.0485 of 59017.8%★☆☆☆☆
201820.2483 of 57115.4%★☆☆☆☆
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)
African American (2025)46th percentile+22 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile+6 vs school
Female (2025)23rd percentile~ school
Male (2023)13th percentile-3 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts46%-17 vs state
Mathematics41%-12 vs state
Science32%-17 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about South Kilbourne Elementary

Students at South Kilbourne Elementary are 69% African American, 14% Hispanic, 10% White, 6% Two or more races.

South Kilbourne Elementary ranks in the bottom 23.4% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Students who attend South Kilbourne Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hand Middle
High : Dreher High

In the 2024-25 school year, 234 students attended South Kilbourne Elementary.


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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.





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