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W.J. Keenan High

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

187^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 25% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

W.J. Keenan High is a public high school in Columbia, SC, serving 675 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Richland 01 school district.

W.J. Keenan is a school showing real signs of progress, even as it continues to face significant challenges. The most encouraging news is the school's work with its African American students, who now rank in the 55th percentile statewide—a dramatic jump from the 18th percentile just two years ago. This is the school's strongest area of performance. There are also bright spots in specific subjects: English 2 proficiency hit 91.9% in 2024-2025, actually beating both the district and state averages, and U.S. History scores have more than doubled in two years. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $22,423 per student—about 75% more than Spring Valley High—and maintains a favorable 12.7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Graduation rates have improved steadily to 83.4%.

However, parents should be aware of some persistent issues. Chronic absenteeism affects 36.1% of students, far higher than the state average of 22.3%, and this likely holds back overall performance. While the school has improved its overall state ranking from 214th to 186th out of 245 schools, it still trails nearby A.C. Flora High (ranked 91st) and Spring Valley High (ranked 130th). One particular concern is the Gifted and Talented program, which ranks in the bottom 5% statewide—suggesting the school's highest-achieving students may not be adequately challenged. Compared to other Richland 01 schools like C.A. Johnson High and Eau Claire High, W.J. Keenan is the strongest performer, but it still has work to do to match the region's top schools.

675

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,735

Per pupil spending ?

75.4%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

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

89%

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

361 Pisgah Church Road
Columbia, SC 29203

(803) 714-2500

District: Richland 01

Feeder schools for W.J. Keenan High:

Elementary:	A. J. Lewis Greenview Elementary
	Burton Pack Elementary
Middle:	W. G. Sanders Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.4%

Hispanic:

5.0%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare W.J. Keenan High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 15th percentile in 2016 → 25th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (54% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the South Carolina average (77% vs 87%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg60%

South Carolina avg69%

187^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	27.7	187 of 248	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.1	178 of 240	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	220 of 243	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	209 of 237	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	197 of 226	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.0	149 of 227	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.4	186 of 225	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	184 of 216	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.5	187 of 223	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.3	196 of 231	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.9	183 of 232	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.6	143 of 210	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.0	138 of 203	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	32.2	149 of 202	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.2	166 of 199	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.3	144 of 199	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	43.1	132 of 188	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	13.4	170 of 185	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	27.3	177 of 191	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	38.6	159 of 191	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.7	167 of 187	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	91 of 200	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.3	114 of 196	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.4	162 of 197	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	140 of 199	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	123 of 190	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.9	59 of 178	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.4	93 of 184	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.1	112 of 183	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	107 of 136	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	125 of 140	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	129 of 147	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.1	139 of 141	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	127 of 139	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	41.0	81 of 143	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.9	99 of 137	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.9	173 of 229	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.1	181 of 229	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	182 of 231	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.6	189 of 223	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	186 of 220	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.5	113 of 213	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.1	180 of 213	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	179 of 210	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.2	148 of 155	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	139 of 154	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	140 of 158	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	142 of 156	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.5	172 of 241	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.5	170 of 230	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	215 of 235	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	196 of 226	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	182 of 220	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.2	119 of 213	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.5	169 of 217	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	165 of 214	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	178 of 233	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.5	173 of 228	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	229 of 234	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	207 of 229	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	194 of 224	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.8	155 of 215	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	175 of 218	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	181 of 213	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)54th percentile+30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)29th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile~ school

Male (2026)24th percentile~ school

Disabled (2026)21st percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)5th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 280%-4 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution53%-9 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 233%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near W.J. Keenan 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	Free/reduced lunch (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
W.J. Keenan High	Public, Magnet	9-12	361 Pisgah Church Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 714-2500	675	53	12.7	—	10 (1.5%)	610 (90.4%)	34 (5.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.0%)	27.7	187^th of 248 public high schools	24.6%		27.1	178^th of 240 public high schools	25.8%	9		33.3	53.4	79.9	89%		$21,735	$1,101	$901	$2,002	$16,354	$3,379	$19,733
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)
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	54.2%	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 Northeast High	Public, Magnet	9-12	7500 Brookfield Road	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-2800	1,340	101	13.3	67.9%	112 (8.4%)	857 (64.0%)	296 (22.1%)	19 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	50 (3.7%)	24	199^th of 248 public high schools	19.8%		15.8	208^th of 240 public high schools	13.3%	9	65.3	39.9	39.1	73.2	≥ 96%		$17,158	$676	$689	$1,365	$12,077	$3,716	$15,793
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)
Westwood High	Public, Magnet	9-12	180 Turkey Farm Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 691-4049	1,743	106	16.4	55.1%	124 (7.1%)	1,378 (79.1%)	141 (8.1%)	16 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (4.4%)	35.7	161^st of 248 public high schools	35.1%		34.9	153^rd of 240 public high schools	36.3%	8	55.4	46.4	59.7	77.0	96%		$14,325	$300	$572	$872	$10,297	$3,156	$13,453
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	—	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
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	—	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	—	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
Spring Valley High	Public, Magnet	9-12	120 Sparkleberry Lane	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-3500	2,230	125	17.8	44.0%	413 (18.5%)	1,209 (54.2%)	337 (15.1%)	151 (6.8%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	113 (5.1%)	48.9	131^st of 248 public high schools	47.2%		43.9	127^th of 240 public high schools	47.1%	4	66.2	51.8	57.8	84.7	96%		$13,898	$437	$598	$1,035	$10,348	$2,516	$12,864

Frequently Asked Questions about W.J. Keenan High

What district is W.J. Keenan High in?

Richland 01

What schools feed into W.J. Keenan High?

W.J. Keenan High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : A. J. Lewis Greenview Elementary
Elementary : Burton Pack Elementary
Middle : W. G. Sanders Middle

How many students attend W.J. Keenan High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 675 students attended W.J. Keenan High.

What is the racial makeup of W.J. Keenan High?

Students at W.J. Keenan High are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

Is W.J. Keenan High a good school?

W.J. Keenan High ranks in the bottom 24.6% of South Carolina high schools.

Rate W.J. Keenan High!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 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.