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Heyward Gibbes Middle

Public Grades 6-8

295^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 South Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 8% of South Carolina middle schools

Summary

Heyward Gibbes Middle is a public middle school in Columbia, South Carolina, serving 263 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Richland 01 school district, which is ranked 52 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Unfortunately, Heyward Gibbes Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of South Carolina middle schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating.

Academically, Heyward Gibbes Middle significantly underperforms both the Richland 01 district and the state of South Carolina. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 38.4% of 6th graders, 40.3% of 7th graders, and 33.3% of 8th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district and state averages. The school's performance in mathematics is even more concerning, with only 11.5% of 6th graders, 10.5% of 7th graders, and 3.9% of 8th graders proficient or better. Additionally, Heyward Gibbes Middle has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 22.5% to 47.6% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

Interestingly, Heyward Gibbes Middle's academic performance is significantly lower than the nearby Crayton Middle and W.G. Sanders Middle schools in the Richland 01 district, which consistently outperform Heyward Gibbes Middle in both English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments. Despite the school's low academic performance, it has a relatively high per-student spending of $25,495, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools in the district, suggesting that the school's challenges may not be solely due to a lack of resources.

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 — 4th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (24% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg35%

South Carolina avg46%

295^th of 320

South Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 9Middle Schools in the Richland 01

52^nd 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
2025	11.9	295 of 320	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	301 of 325	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2025	29.2	194 of 252	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	199 of 248	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2025	11.0	276 of 295	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	268 of 294	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2025	15.9	282 of 307	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	279 of 307	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2025	14.4	265 of 296	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	271 of 294	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
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 (2025)23rd percentile+15 vs school

Disabled (2018)19th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile~ school

Female (2025)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts37%-19 vs state

Science27%-21 vs state

Mathematics9%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Heyward Gibbes Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)						SC READY Mathematics (2025)						SC READY Science (2025)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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		4 (1.6%)	227 (90.1%)	13 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.2%)	11.9	295^th of 320 public middle schools	7.8%		11.4	301^st of 325 public middle schools	7.4%	6				38.4	40.3	33.3				11.5	10.5	3.9		27.0		$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		11 (2.9%)	295 (77.4%)	55 (14.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.0%)	6.4	316^th of 320 public middle schools	1.3%		7.7	319^th of 325 public middle schools	1.8%	3				25.8	29.1	22.8				9.2	10.3	7.3		15.5		$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		17 (2.7%)	523 (83.4%)	46 (7.3%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.6%)	9.7	305^th of 320 public middle schools	4.7%		10.7	306^th of 325 public middle schools	5.8%	1				34.9	32.1	32.2				15.5	5.1	10.4		21.4		$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		2 (0.6%)	289 (90.3%)	11 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.6%)	13.4	288^th of 320 public middle schools	10.0%		16.8	276^th of 325 public middle schools	15.1%	12				34.8	46.8	34.7				10.2	12.6	9.1		22.0	90.5	$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	29203	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 900-0664	216	23	9.3		106 (49.1%)	89 (41.2%)	9 (4.2%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	8.5	309^th of 320 public middle schools	3.4%		8.8	316^th of 325 public middle schools	2.8%	7	14.8	20.5	30.3	28.5	35.5	42.3	0.0	0.0	3.0	3.6	0.0	7.7	11.4	17.8		$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		124 (23.5%)	129 (24.4%)	240 (45.5%)	10 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.4%)	29.1	233^rd of 320 public middle schools	27.2%		22.1	252^nd of 325 public middle schools	22.5%	19				41.3	49.4	53.0				13.5	21.1	29.3		29.0	95.8	$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		59 (11.7%)	376 (74.8%)	46 (9.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	31.9	221^st of 320 public middle schools	30.9%		40	185^th of 325 public middle schools	43.1%	36				44.3	37.5	56.2				23.6	18.2	29.4		37.2	100.0	$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		232 (30.7%)	388 (51.4%)	82 (10.9%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	44 (5.8%)	49.1	150^th of 320 public middle schools	53.1%		52.2	141^st of 325 public middle schools	56.6%	9				56.8	56.5	55.8				31.2	30.5	35.7		38.0	98.3	$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		469 (49.3%)	330 (34.7%)	70 (7.4%)	17 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (6.7%)	82.3	51^st of 320 public middle schools	84.1%		84.6	46^th of 325 public middle schools	85.8%	5				66.7	70.4	65.7				55.0	53.7	47.1		62.3	98.8	$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		185 (17.5%)	566 (53.4%)	186 (17.6%)	67 (6.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.4%)	40.7	186^th of 320 public middle schools	41.9%		43.8	168^th of 325 public middle schools	48.3%	18				48.2	47.5	42.5				36.2	31.2	28.6		46.2	100.0	$15,232	$1,039	$661	$1,699	$11,035	$2,497	$13,532

Frequently Asked Questions about Heyward Gibbes Middle

What district is Heyward Gibbes Middle in?

Richland 01

How many students attend Heyward Gibbes Middle?

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

What high school do graduates of Heyward Gibbes Middle attend?

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

Is Heyward Gibbes Middle a good school?

Heyward Gibbes Middle ranks in the bottom 7.8% 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.

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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.