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Edward E. Taylor Elementary

Q: Is Edward E. Taylor Elementary a good school?

Edward E. Taylor Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.5% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Edward E. Taylor Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 217 students attended Edward E. Taylor Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Edward E. Taylor Elementary?

Students at Edward E. Taylor Elementary are 87% African American, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Edward E. Taylor Elementary attend?

Students who attend Edward E. Taylor Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Heyward Gibbes Middle High : Eau Claire High

Public Grades PK, KG-5

646^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 649 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 0% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Edward E. Taylor Elementary is a small school in Columbia, SC, serving 217 students in grades PK-5 within the Richland 01 school district, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

The most recent school year brought a dramatic decline, with the school now ranking in the bottom 1% of elementary schools statewide—its lowest point in over a decade. Math proficiency has fallen to critically low levels, with just 5% of 4th graders meeting grade-level expectations compared to 52% statewide. Science scores have similarly collapsed, dropping from 18.8% to 5% proficiency in one year. This follows a pattern of volatility: the school showed genuine improvement in 2024-2025, with 5th grade reading and math scores matching district averages, but those gains completely evaporated the following year. Chronic absenteeism has also spiked to 38.3%, up from 26% the prior year and well above the state average of 22.3%. This is particularly striking when compared to Hyatt Park Elementary, just 1.5 miles away, which serves a similar population but has a chronic absenteeism rate of only 16.9% and significantly better 3rd grade scores in both reading (56% vs. 32.5%) and math (52% vs. 21%).

What makes this situation especially concerning is that the school has strong resources—spending $26,586 per student, which is roughly $8,000 more than nearby H.B. Rhame Elementary and Sandel Elementary, both of which achieve better results. The school also maintains a favorable 11.4:1 student-teacher ratio. Despite these advantages, the school has not ranked above the 20th percentile since 2015-2016. The sharp rise in absenteeism is likely both a symptom and a cause of the academic struggles, and addressing attendance should be a top priority for families and school leadership working to reverse this trend.

217

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,586

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 McRae Street
Columbia, SC 29203

(803) 343-2974

District: Richland 01

Students who attend Edward E. Taylor Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Heyward Gibbes Middle
High:	Eau Claire High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

86.6%

Hispanic:

8.3%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Edward E. Taylor Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2016 → <1st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (21% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 22% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg50%

South Carolina avg58%

646^th of 649

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 32 pts since 2016

From bottom 32% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 27Elementary 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	2.8	646 of 649	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	544 of 640	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	606 of 638	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.7	517 of 644	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.8	564 of 625	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	549 of 622	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	572 of 643	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	525 of 624	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.9	576 of 639	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.6	421 of 619	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	24.5	525 of 638	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.7	556 of 630	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.5	470 of 599	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.8	455 of 594	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.3	506 of 597	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	20.2	528 of 589	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.8	436 of 580	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	41.8	376 of 577	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	37.5	402 of 566	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	5.3	547 of 559	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.4	525 of 557	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.6	543 of 550	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	9.2	521 of 542	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	13.2	366 of 379	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	34.8	261 of 381	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.4	311 of 369	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.2	218 of 394	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	295 of 393	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.7	203 of 350	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.6	269 of 421	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.9	209 of 412	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	10.8	541 of 580	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	569 of 573	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	474 of 588	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	442 of 570	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	5.5	617 of 624	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	505 of 613	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	550 of 599	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	428 of 608	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	539 of 600	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	486 of 580	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	494 of 600	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	464 of 588	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	19.5	484 of 582	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	555 of 590	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	555 of 571	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2023)17th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2023)7th percentile-13 vs school

African American (2026)3rd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts31%-33 vs state

Mathematics16%-38 vs state

Science5%-47 vs state

★

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Schools Near Edward E. Taylor Elementary

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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)		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 (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	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
Edward E. Taylor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 McRae Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2974	217	19	11.4		0 (0.0%)	188 (86.6%)	18 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)	2.8	646^th of 649 public elementary schools	0.5%		17.4	544^th of 640 public elementary schools	15.0%	102	32.5	20.0	37.0				21.0	5.0	14.8				5.0		$26,586	$3,770	$1,701	$5,471	$17,926	$3,188	$21,115
Hyatt Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4200 Main Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3421	317	27	11.7		9 (2.8%)	280 (88.3%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	15.7	570^th of 649 public elementary schools	12.2%		9.3	609^th of 640 public elementary schools	4.8%	39	56.0	46.2	36.0				52.0	23.0	16.0				15.4		$29,885	$5,348	$1,789	$7,137	$19,560	$3,189	$22,749
H. B. Rhame Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Arrowwood Drive	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8900	418	30	13.9		15 (3.6%)	362 (86.6%)	19 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	23.1	508^th of 649 public elementary schools	21.7%		28.6	461^st of 640 public elementary schools	28.0%	47	57.3	55.0	42.6				48.5	34.4	24.6				27.9		$18,610	$2,239	$1,277	$3,516	$12,849	$2,245	$15,094
Logan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	815 Elmwood Avenue	Columbia	29201	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 343-2915	237	22	10.7		71 (30.0%)	142 (59.9%)	8 (3.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	54.6	276^th of 649 public elementary schools	57.5%		41.3	364^th of 640 public elementary schools	43.1%	88	61.8	71.4	64.0				50.0	53.6	40.0				64.2		$29,701	$2,725	$1,346	$4,070	$22,102	$3,528	$25,630
Sandel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 Seminole Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8906	479	36	13.3		7 (1.5%)	375 (78.3%)	59 (12.3%)	17 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.4%)	12.9	594^th of 649 public elementary schools	8.5%		13.6	574^th of 640 public elementary schools	10.3%	20	33.4	46.9	44.8				27.0	26.6	34.3				28.1		$18,452	$1,797	$1,495	$3,292	$12,749	$2,411	$15,160
Saluda River Academy for the Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 Duke Avenue	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Lexington 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 739-4095	400	31	12.9		154 (38.5%)	117 (29.3%)	82 (20.5%)	13 (3.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	45.5	344^th of 649 public elementary schools	47.0%		40.3	375^th of 640 public elementary schools	41.4%	31	52.2	67.8	63.4				49.2	41.7	47.6				52.5		$17,850	$1,160	$1,321	$2,480	$12,881	$2,489	$15,370
Arden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Ashley Street	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-3400	216	19	11.3		2 (0.9%)	126 (58.3%)	73 (33.8%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)	17.1	555^th of 649 public elementary schools	14.5%		21.3	521^st of 640 public elementary schools	18.6%	34	37.8	47.3	52.9				40.5	27.7	32.3				30.6		$24,750	$2,750	$1,452	$4,202	$17,462	$3,087	$20,548
Watkins-Nance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2525 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 733-4321	499	30	16.6		8 (1.6%)	432 (86.6%)	20 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.4%)	10.1	617^th of 649 public elementary schools	4.9%		9.3	608^th of 640 public elementary schools	5.0%	9	39.3	45.3	43.9				29.2	27.0	22.7				25.4		$19,750	$3,013	$1,958	$4,972	$12,406	$2,372	$14,778
East Point Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	Elementary Campus	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(803) 926-5180	724	55	13.1		316 (43.6%)	224 (30.9%)	51 (7.0%)	37 (5.1%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	88 (12.2%)	76	147^th of 649 public elementary schools	77.3%		81.1	106^th of 640 public elementary schools	83.4%	41	84.3	90.5	70.6	55.9	85.5	73.6	79.1	81.0	51.8	28.8	55.3	63.1	80.0	36.2	$11,901	$363	$134	$497	$8,516	$2,888	$11,404
Carver-Lyon Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2100 Waverly Street	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 343-2900	417	47	8.8		32 (7.7%)	302 (72.4%)	62 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	25.8	483^rd of 649 public elementary schools	25.6%		28.4	462^nd of 640 public elementary schools	27.8%	21	51.7	68.4	44.6				41.4	33.4	23.0				42.1		$29,568	$2,186	$1,377	$3,563	$22,536	$3,469	$26,005

Frequently Asked Questions about Edward E. Taylor Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Edward E. Taylor Elementary?

Students at Edward E. Taylor Elementary are 87% African American, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Edward E. Taylor Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 217 students attended Edward E. Taylor Elementary.

What district is Edward E. Taylor Elementary in?

Richland 01

What schools do graduates of Edward E. Taylor Elementary attend?

Students who attend Edward E. Taylor Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Heyward Gibbes Middle
High : Eau Claire High

Is Edward E. Taylor Elementary a good school?

Edward E. Taylor Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.5% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Edward E. Taylor Elementary!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresNewAug 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.