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Hand Middle

Q: Is Hand Middle a good school?

Hand Middle ranks 148 th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 57% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Hand Middle in Columbia, SC, serves 755 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Richland 01 school district, where it stands out as a consistent 3-star school despite serving a student body where 100% qualify for free/reduced lunch.

Hand Middle is a clear academic leader within its district, outperforming five of its six peer middle schools by a wide margin. While Crayton Middle (86th percentile) is the top performer in Richland 01, Hand Middle ranks in the 57th percentile statewide—far ahead of schools like Alcorn Middle (0th percentile) and W. A. Perry Middle (8th percentile). The school's most impressive achievement is its Algebra 1 End-of-Course exam results, with 98-100% proficiency over the past three years—a remarkable 28-40 percentage point advantage over the district average. English Language Arts scores are also strong, beating district averages by 10-15 points in every grade level. Chronic absenteeism, while slightly above the state average, is the second-lowest among district middle schools and has been improving steadily.

However, parents should be aware of some challenges. While the school excels overall, there are notable gaps in performance between different student groups, and general education math scores trail state averages (33-40% proficiency vs. 41-44% statewide). The school also spends a substantial $18,872 per student, which is higher than Dent Middle in Richland 02 but lower than several lower-performing district peers. For families considering Hand Middle, the school offers a strong, stable academic environment with exceptional advanced math opportunities, though the general math curriculum and equity across all student populations remain areas for continued focus.

755

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,872

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2600 Wheat Street
Columbia, SC 29205

(803) 343-2947

District: Richland 01

Students who attend Hand Middle usually attend:

High:

Dreher High

Feeder schools for Hand Middle:

Elementary:	A. C. Moore Elementary
	Meadowfield Elementary
	Rosewood Elementary
	South Kilbourne Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.4%

White:

30.7%

Hispanic:

10.9%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Hand Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 48th percentile in 2021 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 57th (2026) from a 48th-percentile low (2021)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Richland 01

✓Above the South Carolina median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg40%

South Carolina avg51%

148^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	52.2	148 of 341	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.1	149 of 321	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	140 of 322	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	157 of 325	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	126 of 310	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.2	163 of 311	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.3	115 of 315	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.2	96 of 303	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.2	110 of 317	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.7	90 of 303	70.3%	★★★★☆
2015	74.5	58 of 301	80.7%	★★★★☆
2014	66.1	95 of 291	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.6	112 of 276	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.5	105 of 271	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.5	91 of 269	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.7	84 of 261	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.9	66 of 249	73.5%	★★★★☆
2008	67.3	86 of 244	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.2	96 of 236	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.4	93 of 231	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.8	74 of 230	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	71.1	70 of 230	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2003	75.1	57 of 225	74.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	121 of 258	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.1	157 of 251	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.9	84 of 246	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.2	111 of 253	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.3	90 of 249	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	106 of 235	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	107 of 252	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.8	80 of 237	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	99 of 192	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.5	145 of 184	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.4	60 of 177	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.9	92 of 187	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	80 of 183	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.9	106 of 164	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	127 of 195	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	146 of 194	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	62 of 113	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.0	44 of 110	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.1	77 of 104	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	76 of 95	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.5	53 of 117	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.5	134 of 310	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.3	134 of 295	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.2	111 of 293	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	141 of 299	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.8	98 of 290	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.7	148 of 279	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.0	111 of 296	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.9	89 of 281	68.3%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	142 of 197	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.7	118 of 173	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.2	132 of 184	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.9	130 of 185	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.1	73 of 182	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	120 of 179	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.7	102 of 159	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.6	80 of 156	48.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.6	100 of 144	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	99 of 141	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.8	60 of 139	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	86.2	14 of 123	88.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	219 of 325	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.7	221 of 308	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	190 of 304	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.6	195 of 313	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	152 of 300	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.6	193 of 288	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.6	184 of 289	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.8	150 of 280	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	148 of 310	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.3	160 of 298	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.2	149 of 292	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.6	150 of 303	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.2	134 of 292	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.8	149 of 279	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.7	112 of 296	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.7	95 of 284	66.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.0	29 of 271	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	84.7	36 of 259	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	37 of 256	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	39 of 260	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.5	30 of 249	88.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.3	62 of 244	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	86.7	28 of 258	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	89.3	22 of 250	91.2%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)89th percentile+33 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile~ school

African American (2026)53rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2026)48th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)45th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)36th percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-24 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)28th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts61%+3 vs state

Science45%-7 vs state

Mathematics38%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hand 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)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	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
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%)	52.2	148^th of 341 public middle schools	56.6%		49.1	149^th of 321 public middle schools	53.6%	1				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
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%)	82.2	49^th of 341 public middle schools	85.6%		82.3	50^th of 321 public middle schools	84.4%	1				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
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%)	12.9	313^th of 341 public middle schools	8.2%		13.4	290^th of 321 public middle schools	9.7%	23				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	266^th of 341 public middle schools	22.0%		31.9	222^nd of 321 public middle schools	30.8%	44				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
Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	501 Bulldog Boulevard	Cayce	29033	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 739-4070	442	35	12.6	100.0%	128 (29.0%)	161 (36.4%)	102 (23.1%)	21 (4.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.3%)	29.8	244^th of 341 public middle schools	28.4%		29.5	232^nd of 321 public middle schools	27.7%	12				39.5	45.3	47.6				20.6	29.5	44.1		42.8		$16,055	$1,248	$1,134	$2,382	$11,314	$2,359	$13,673
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%)	15.3	305^th of 341 public middle schools	10.6%		11.9	297^th of 321 public middle schools	7.5%	8				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
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%)	4	340^th of 341 public middle schools	0.3%		6.4	318^th of 321 public middle schools	0.9%	22				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%)	1.4	341^st of 341 public middle schools	0.0%		8.5	311^th of 321 public middle schools	3.1%	30	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
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%)	9.5	323^rd of 341 public middle schools	5.3%		9.7	307^th of 321 public middle schools	4.4%	16				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%)	26.1	255^th of 341 public middle schools	25.2%		29.1	234^th of 321 public middle schools	27.1%	21				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 Hand Middle

What is the racial makeup of Hand Middle?

Students at Hand Middle are 51% African American, 31% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Hand Middle in?

Richland 01

How many students attend Hand Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 755 students attended Hand Middle.

Is Hand Middle a good school?

Hand Middle ranks 148^th of 341 South Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Hand Middle attend?

Students who attend Hand Middle usually go on to attend Dreher High

Rate Hand Middle!

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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.