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C. A. Johnson High

Q: Is C. A. Johnson High a good school?

C. A. Johnson High ranks in the bottom 11.7% of South Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend C. A. Johnson High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 344 students attended C. A. Johnson High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of C. A. Johnson High?

Students at C. A. Johnson High are 93% African American, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into C. A. Johnson High?

C. A. Johnson High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Arden Elementary Elementary : Carver-Lyon Elementary Elementary : Watkins-Nance Elementary Middle : W. A. Perry Middle

Public Grades 9-12

219^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 12% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

C. A. Johnson High is a small public high school in Columbia, SC, serving 344 students in grades 9-12 within the Richland 01 school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school faces significant challenges with student engagement and retention. In the 2024-2025 school year, 51.2% of students were chronically absent—more than double the district average of 26.7% and roughly 2.5 times the rate at nearby A. C. Flora High (19.2%) and Dreher High (23.8%). The dropout rate of 8.1% is nearly four times the state average of 2.1%. Academically, the school ranks in the bottom quartile of South Carolina high schools (217 out of 245). However, there are bright spots: proficiency in English 2 reached 75.8% in 2025-2026, close to the district average, and the school ranked in the 49th percentile for its African American students in 2024-2025—a notable improvement from the 13th percentile the year before.

One of the most striking findings is the school's spending. At $29,536 per student, C. A. Johnson spends more than any comparable school in the area—roughly $11,000 more per student than Dreher High, which achieves a graduation rate 12 points higher and ranks in the 76th percentile. This suggests the challenge isn't a lack of resources, but rather how effectively funds are used to address root causes like absenteeism. The Richland One Charter Middle College, which serves only 11th and 12th graders, offers an interesting contrast with a 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, highlighting how alternative models might benefit upperclassmen. Performance at C. A. Johnson also fluctuates dramatically year to year—English 1 proficiency swung from 24% to 68.8% in consecutive years—making it difficult to assess long-term trends with such a small student body.

344

Students ?

9.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,010

Per pupil spending ?

87.8%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

95%

Students (all grades) with required immunizations (2025-26)

2219 Barhamville Road
Columbia, SC 29204

(803) 253-7092

District: Richland 01

Feeder schools for C. A. Johnson High:

Elementary:	Arden Elementary
	Carver-Lyon Elementary
	Watkins-Nance Elementary
Middle:	W. A. Perry Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.7%

Hispanic:

3.5%

Two or more races:

3.2%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare C. A. Johnson High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2016 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (51% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the South Carolina average (76% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg60%

South Carolina avg69%

219^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7High 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	18.1	219 of 248	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.5	180 of 240	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	223 of 243	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.5	232 of 237	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.7	214 of 226	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.6	158 of 227	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.2	165 of 225	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	202 of 216	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	17.5	186 of 223	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	5.7	230 of 231	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.0	225 of 232	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.7	202 of 210	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.5	200 of 203	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.0	194 of 202	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	2.9	194 of 199	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	13.1	181 of 199	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.5	182 of 188	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.9	175 of 185	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	34.6	168 of 191	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.3	181 of 191	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	8.1	180 of 187	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	130 of 200	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	100 of 196	49.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	23.6	170 of 197	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	192 of 199	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.3	169 of 190	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.8	75 of 178	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.0	62 of 184	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.0	133 of 183	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	123 of 136	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.9	96 of 147	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	9.5	136 of 141	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.9	187 of 229	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	166 of 229	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	201 of 231	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	219 of 223	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	205 of 220	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	158 of 213	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	173 of 213	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	202 of 210	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	207 of 241	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.4	156 of 230	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	14.9	212 of 235	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	222 of 226	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	202 of 220	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.5	128 of 213	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	108 of 217	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	15.4	190 of 214	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.5	215 of 233	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.6	179 of 228	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	222 of 234	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.7	226 of 229	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.2	216 of 224	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	134 of 218	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	11.9	193 of 213	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)35th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile~ school

Disabled (2026)10th percentile~ school

Male (2026)8th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 276%-8 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution40%-23 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 238%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near C. A. Johnson High

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	Directly certified (2023-24)	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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Vaccination: Students (all grades) with required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
C. A. Johnson High	Public	9-12	2219 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 253-7092	344	38	9.0	87.8%	2 (0.6%)	319 (92.7%)	12 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.2%)	18.1	219^th of 248 public high schools	11.7%		26.5	180^th of 240 public high schools	25.0%	39		38.0	40.0	75.8	95%		$31,010	$1,312	$1,491	$2,802	$22,914	$5,294	$28,208
A. C. Flora High	Public	9-12	1 Falcon Drive	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 738-7300	1,328	85	15.6	39.8%	602 (45.3%)	523 (39.4%)	113 (8.5%)	24 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	63 (4.7%)	62.6	92^nd of 248 public high schools	62.9%		43.5	129^th of 240 public high schools	46.3%	37		60.1	67.3	86.4	≥ 96%		$17,292	$959	$860	$1,819	$12,824	$2,648	$15,472
Dreher High	Public	9-12	3319 Millwood Avenue	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 253-7000	1,144	78	14.7	45.5%	387 (33.8%)	560 (49.0%)	103 (9.0%)	20 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	71 (6.2%)	72.2	58^th of 248 public high schools	76.6%		59.5	81^st of 240 public high schools	66.3%	23		67.6	67.2	89.8	75%		$18,377	$1,098	$857	$1,955	$13,868	$2,554	$16,422
Eau Claire High	Public	9-12	4800 Monticello Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-7600	542	47	11.6	85.1%	7 (1.3%)	438 (80.8%)	72 (13.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.9%)	18.1	217^th of 248 public high schools	12.5%		6.9	229^th of 240 public high schools	4.6%	12		39.2	45.5	72.7	95%		$22,961	$1,801	$1,024	$2,825	$16,650	$3,486	$20,136
Samuel A. Heyward Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	3560 Lynhaven Drive	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 735-3343	0	23	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
School Whitmore School	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	501 Commerce Drive NE	Columbia	29223	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	Yes	No	(803) 476-6416	431	15	28.7	—	309 (71.7%)	81 (18.8%)	26 (6.0%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	23.6	200^th of 248 public high schools	19.4%		23.4	186^th of 240 public high schools	22.5%	14		38.6	44.9	78.5	86%		$9,106	$195	$96	$291	$6,740	$2,074	$8,815
Richland One Charter Middle College	Public, Charter	11-12	316 South Beltline Boulevard Richland Hall 132	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 738-7114	106	5	23.5	51.9%	14 (13.2%)	78 (73.6%)	5 (4.7%)	3 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.7%)								(n/a)			61.7		96%		$21,827	$819	$858	$1,677	$15,425	$4,726	$20,150
Brookland-Cayce High	Public	9-12	1300 State Street	Cayce	29033	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 791-5000	1,212	99	12.2	65.3%	310 (25.6%)	392 (32.3%)	405 (33.4%)	48 (4.0%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (4.2%)	31.8	172^nd of 248 public high schools	30.6%		22.8	188^th of 240 public high schools	21.7%	16	31.4	78.5	42.3	76.1	95%		$14,989	$315	$1,220	$1,535	$10,888	$2,566	$13,454
Manning High	Public	9-12	502 Beckman Drive	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 935-7203	2	4	.5	—	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)	1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Columbia High	Public	9-12	1701 Westchester Drive	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8950	681	54	12.6	83.1%	18 (2.6%)	579 (85.0%)	45 (6.6%)	15 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (3.4%)	21.8	207^th of 248 public high schools	16.5%		12	218^th of 240 public high schools	9.2%	11		36.4	46.8	76.8	91%		$22,680	$2,400	$1,716	$4,116	$15,306	$3,257	$18,564

Frequently Asked Questions about C. A. Johnson High

What schools feed into C. A. Johnson High?

C. A. Johnson High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Arden Elementary
Elementary : Carver-Lyon Elementary
Elementary : Watkins-Nance Elementary
Middle : W. A. Perry Middle

How many students attend C. A. Johnson High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 344 students attended C. A. Johnson High.

Is C. A. Johnson High a good school?

C. A. Johnson High ranks in the bottom 11.7% of South Carolina high schools.

What district is C. A. Johnson High in?

Richland 01

What is the racial makeup of C. A. Johnson High?

Students at C. A. Johnson High are 93% African American, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Rate C. A. Johnson High!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 20, 2026

2025–26 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data & dropout ratesOct 12, 2026

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.