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Heyward Gibbes Middle

Public Grades 6-8

305^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 341 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 11% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Heyward Gibbes Middle in Columbia, SC, is a public school in the Richland 01 district serving 252 students in grades 6-8, with a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 9.8:1 and a student body where 100% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Heyward Gibbes faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 44%—nearly double the state average and far higher than the 17.4% rate at nearby Crayton Middle. Academically, the school ranks in the bottom 10% of South Carolina middle schools, with math proficiency being the biggest concern. For example, only 11.3% of 7th graders met state standards in math, compared to a district average of 30.2%. The school shows relative strength in English Language Arts, where 7th-grade proficiency (46.5%) is close to the district average (52.7%). Interestingly, Heyward Gibbes outperforms its closest geographic neighbor, Alcorn Middle, by significant margins in both 8th-grade ELA (37.2% vs. 29.8%) and math (30.8% vs. 9.8%).

Despite spending $28,273 per student—64% more than Crayton Middle—these resources have not yet translated into higher test scores. However, there are positive trends. The school has shown steady improvement in serving its key student groups, with African American students ranking in the 29th percentile statewide (up from 20th percentile three years ago) and low-income students improving from the 8th to 16th percentile. The most urgent priority for the school is addressing the absenteeism crisis, which is likely the single greatest barrier to student success. If attendance improves, the school's small class sizes and incremental academic gains suggest it has a foundation to build upon.

252

Students ?

9.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,273

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

500 Summerlea Drive
Columbia, SC 29203

(803) 343-2942

District: Richland 01

Students who attend Heyward Gibbes Middle usually attend:

High:

Eau Claire High

Feeder schools for Heyward Gibbes Middle:

Elementary:	Edward E. Taylor Elementary
	Hyatt Park Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.1%

Hispanic:

5.2%

Two or more races:

3.2%

See top rated South Carolina middle schools

Compare Heyward Gibbes Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (30% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg40%

South Carolina avg51%

305^th of 341

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	15.3	305 of 341	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.9	297 of 321	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	299 of 322	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	316 of 325	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.0	304 of 310	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.8	296 of 311	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	297 of 315	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	295 of 303	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.7	306 of 317	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.4	278 of 303	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.3	290 of 301	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	15.0	260 of 291	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.9	264 of 276	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.5	264 of 271	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.7	259 of 269	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.0	254 of 261	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.0	246 of 249	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.9	234 of 244	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	12.2	221 of 236	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	11.9	216 of 231	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	14.3	212 of 230	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	11.4	216 of 230	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	10.3	212 of 225	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.4	182 of 258	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.2	194 of 251	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	197 of 246	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	230 of 253	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	221 of 249	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.6	202 of 235	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	210 of 252	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	214 of 237	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	26.4	157 of 194	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.3	289 of 310	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.0	277 of 295	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	267 of 293	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	292 of 299	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	282 of 290	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.7	263 of 279	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	273 of 296	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.3	274 of 281	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	271 of 325	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	284 of 308	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	277 of 304	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	303 of 313	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	291 of 300	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.0	268 of 288	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	273 of 289	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	267 of 280	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	266 of 310	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	268 of 298	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	270 of 292	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	294 of 303	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	287 of 292	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.7	274 of 279	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.6	287 of 296	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	274 of 284	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)29th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2018)19th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-19 vs state

Science28%-24 vs state

Mathematics21%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Heyward Gibbes 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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%)	42.1	190^th of 341 public middle schools	44.3%		40.7	185^th of 321 public middle schools	42.4%	5				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

Frequently Asked Questions about Heyward Gibbes Middle

How many students attend Heyward Gibbes Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 252 students attended Heyward Gibbes Middle.

What district is Heyward Gibbes Middle in?

Richland 01

Is Heyward Gibbes Middle a good school?

Heyward Gibbes Middle ranks in the bottom 10.6% of South Carolina middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Heyward Gibbes Middle?

Students at Heyward Gibbes Middle are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What high school do graduates of Heyward Gibbes Middle attend?

Students who attend Heyward Gibbes Middle usually go on to attend Eau Claire High

Rate Heyward Gibbes 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.