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W. A. Perry Middle

Public Grades 6-8

309^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 335 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 8% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

W. A. Perry Middle is a public school in Columbia, SC, serving 320 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Richland 01 school district.

W. A. Perry Middle stands out for its exceptionally high per-student spending of $30,818—about 78% more than nearby schools like Hand Middle ($18,872) and Crayton Middle ($17,291)—yet its overall academic rankings remain in the bottom 10% statewide. The school's most pressing challenge is chronic absenteeism: nearly half of students (47%) miss significant instructional time, which is roughly double the district average and far higher than Crayton Middle's 17.4% rate. This attendance crisis directly impacts classroom continuity and test scores. However, there are notable bright spots. Students who take advanced math (Algebra 1) achieve a 90.48% proficiency rate, outperforming the state average by 16 points. English Language Arts scores have also improved dramatically in 7th grade, rising from 25.2% proficiency in 2023-2024 to 47.7% in 2025-2026, suggesting that specific instructional changes are taking hold.

Parents should understand that W. A. Perry Middle offers a tale of two experiences. The advanced track is genuinely excellent—students in rigorous coursework perform at or above state averages. The general track, however, shows math proficiency rates of only 14-17%, about one-third of the state average. The school is also notably more effective with its female students (12th percentile) than male students (6th percentile) statewide. Compared to its closest neighbor, W. G. Sanders Middle (1.44 miles away), Perry lags in standard math scores despite serving a similar demographic. The school's favorable 10:1 student-teacher ratio and substantial resources suggest that the primary barrier to success is not funding but the attendance crisis. For families considering this school, the key question is whether the school's strong advanced programs and improving ELA scores can be expanded to reach the majority of students who are currently missing too much school to benefit from them.

320

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,818

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2600 Barhamville Road
Columbia, SC 29204

(803) 256-6347

District: Richland 01

Students who attend W. A. Perry Middle usually attend:

High:

C. A. Johnson High

Feeder schools for W. A. Perry Middle:

Elementary:	Carver-Lyon Elementary
	Watkins-Nance Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.3%

Two or more races:

5.6%

Hispanic:

3.4%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare W. A. Perry Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (26% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (47% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg40%

South Carolina avg51%

309^th of 335

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 9Middle 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	12.7	309 of 335	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	288 of 320	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	276 of 325	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	309 of 325	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	266 of 310	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	290 of 311	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.3	273 of 315	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.5	244 of 303	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.8	244 of 317	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.5	230 of 303	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.9	274 of 301	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.2	242 of 291	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.7	204 of 276	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.7	173 of 271	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	8.5	255 of 269	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.9	255 of 261	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.4	243 of 249	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.4	236 of 244	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	12.7	218 of 236	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.7	229 of 231	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	3.2	228 of 230	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	2.4	229 of 230	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	9.2	215 of 225	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	207 of 257	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	195 of 252	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.0	149 of 248	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.3	218 of 253	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.4	158 of 249	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.6	170 of 235	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.0	143 of 252	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.8	79 of 237	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	24.1	156 of 187	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.6	158 of 183	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	163 of 195	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	135 of 194	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.9	268 of 305	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	259 of 295	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	253 of 294	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	270 of 299	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	233 of 290	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	266 of 279	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.3	245 of 296	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	222 of 281	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	285 of 320	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	267 of 307	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	246 of 307	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	296 of 313	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	254 of 300	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	252 of 288	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	240 of 289	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.8	194 of 280	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.0	287 of 306	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.6	272 of 296	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	243 of 294	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	295 of 303	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	277 of 292	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	264 of 279	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	279 of 296	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.1	237 of 284	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)19th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2023)17th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)12th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts40%-18 vs state

Science18%-33 vs state

Mathematics15%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near W. A. Perry Middle

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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
W. A. Perry Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 256-6347	320	32	10.0	100.0%	2 (0.6%)	289 (90.3%)	11 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.6%)	12.7	309^th of 335 public middle schools	7.8%		13.4	288^th of 320 public middle schools	10.0%	21				26.6	47.7	46.5				14.0	14.4	17.0		18.5	$30,818	$3,082	$2,054	$5,136	$19,110	$6,573	$25,683
W. G. Sanders Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	3455 Pine Belt Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 735-7575	503	54	9.3	100.0%	59 (11.7%)	376 (74.8%)	46 (9.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	22.5	263^rd of 335 public middle schools	21.5%		31.9	221^st of 320 public middle schools	30.9%	42				43.6	50.3	36.0				24.5	28.6	26.0		31.4	$20,208	$1,375	$1,201	$2,576	$14,996	$2,637	$17,633
Alcorn Middle	Public	6-8	5125 Fairfield Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3439	381	31	12.4	100.0%	11 (2.9%)	295 (77.4%)	55 (14.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.0%)	3.9	334^th of 335 public middle schools	0.3%		6.4	316^th of 320 public middle schools	1.3%	18				25.1	17.8	29.8				10.8	9.2	9.8		14.4	$22,494	$2,572	$1,551	$4,123	$15,467	$2,904	$18,371
Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy	Public, Charter	2-8	6015 N Main Street	Columbia	29224	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 900-0664	216	23	9.3	34.3%	106 (49.1%)	89 (41.2%)	9 (4.2%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	1.3	335^th of 335 public middle schools	0.0%		8.5	309^th of 320 public middle schools	3.4%	26	6.3	22.6	19.6	14.3	15.4		9.7	0.0	4.3	0.0	0.0		0.0	8.6	$16,348	$1,802	$163	$1,965	$11,174	$3,208	$14,383
Heyward Gibbes Middle	Public	6-8	500 Summerlea Drive	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2942	252	26	9.8	100.0%	4 (1.6%)	227 (90.1%)	13 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.2%)	15.1	301^st of 335 public middle schools	10.1%		11.9	295^th of 320 public middle schools	7.8%	6				32.4	46.5	37.2				17.3	11.3	30.8		27.5	$28,273	$2,597	$1,973	$4,569	$19,307	$4,397	$23,704
Crayton Middle	Public	6-8	5000 Clemson Avenue	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 738-7224	952	68	14.0	100.0%	469 (49.3%)	330 (34.7%)	70 (7.4%)	17 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (6.7%)	83	47^th of 335 public middle schools	86.0%		82.3	51^st of 320 public middle schools	84.1%	4				69.1	76.1	66.1				56.0	60.7	57.2		65.0	$17,291	$1,415	$1,114	$2,529	$12,672	$2,090	$14,761
Hand Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Wheat Street	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 343-2947	755	61	12.3	100.0%	232 (30.7%)	388 (51.4%)	82 (10.9%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	44 (5.8%)	52.6	145^th of 335 public middle schools	56.7%		49.1	150^th of 320 public middle schools	53.1%	5				62.4	64.3	56.3				39.1	33.5	40.1		44.6	$18,872	$1,401	$1,133	$2,534	$13,897	$2,441	$16,338
Dent Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2721 Decker Boulevard	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-2750	1,059	83	12.7	100.0%	185 (17.5%)	566 (53.4%)	186 (17.6%)	67 (6.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.4%)	42.4	187^th of 335 public middle schools	44.2%		40.7	186^th of 320 public middle schools	41.9%	1				50.2	54.5	55.8				30.9	40.6	35.5		43.0	$15,232	$1,039	$661	$1,699	$11,035	$2,497	$13,532
St. Andrews Middle	Public	6-8	1231 Bluefield Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8910	627	58	10.8	100.0%	17 (2.7%)	523 (83.4%)	46 (7.3%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.6%)	9.2	319^th of 335 public middle schools	4.8%		9.7	305^th of 320 public middle schools	4.7%	14				32.6	36.7	35.2				13.3	16.4	18.5		23.5	$18,051	$2,156	$1,651	$3,808	$11,942	$2,301	$14,244
Northside Middle	Public	6-8	157 Cougar Drive	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 739-4190	528	43	12.2	84.5%	124 (23.5%)	129 (24.4%)	240 (45.5%)	10 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.4%)	26	252^nd of 335 public middle schools	24.8%		29.1	233^rd of 320 public middle schools	27.2%	19				38.7	45.6	52.8				17.8	17.3	38.2		41.8	$16,360	$547	$1,527	$2,074	$11,997	$2,290	$14,286

Frequently Asked Questions about W. A. Perry Middle

How many students attend W. A. Perry Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 320 students attended W. A. Perry Middle.

Is W. A. Perry Middle a good school?

W. A. Perry Middle ranks in the bottom 7.8% of South Carolina middle schools.

What high school do graduates of W. A. Perry Middle attend?

Students who attend W. A. Perry Middle usually go on to attend C. A. Johnson High

What is the racial makeup of W. A. Perry Middle?

Students at W. A. Perry Middle are 90% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What district is W. A. Perry Middle in?

Richland 01

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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.