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Edward E. Taylor Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
544th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 15% of South Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Edward E. Taylor Elementary is a public elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina, serving 222 students in grades PK-5. 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.

Edward E. Taylor Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Carolina elementary schools, with academic performance significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 34.4% of 4th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 56.7% in the district and 63.5% statewide. Nearby schools like Arden Elementary and Watkins-Nance Elementary generally perform better on academic measures, with 4th-grade math proficiency rates of 38.7% and 25.8%, respectively, compared to 18.8% at Edward E. Taylor Elementary.

The school faces additional challenges, including a high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 31.1% over the past few years. Despite the relatively high per-student spending of $23,154 in 2023-2024 and a low student-teacher ratio of 9.6, the school's academic performance remains poor, suggesting that simply increasing resources may not be enough to address the complex issues the school is facing. Addressing the root causes of the school's persistent underperformance will likely require a multifaceted approach, including targeted interventions, professional development for teachers, and community partnerships.

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: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025
Strengths
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the South Carolina average (33% vs 55% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 22% South Carolina)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school33%
District avg46%
South Carolina avg55%
544th of 640
South Carolina public elementary schools ?
Bottom 15%▼ down 3 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
19th of 27Elementary Schools in the Richland 01
52nd 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202517.4544 of 64015.0%★☆☆☆☆
20249.8606 of 6385.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202321.7517 of 64419.7%★☆☆☆☆
202211.8564 of 6259.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202112.8549 of 62211.7%★☆☆☆☆
201914.5572 of 64311.0%★☆☆☆☆
201818.8525 of 62415.9%★☆☆☆☆
201714.9576 of 6399.9%★☆☆☆☆
201634.6421 of 61932.0%★★☆☆☆
201524.5525 of 63817.7%★☆☆☆☆
201420.7556 of 63011.7%★☆☆☆☆
201331.5470 of 59921.5%★☆☆☆☆
201231.8455 of 59423.4%★☆☆☆☆
201123.3506 of 59715.2%★☆☆☆☆
201020.2528 of 58910.4%★☆☆☆☆
200931.8436 of 58024.8%★☆☆☆☆
200841.8376 of 57734.8%★★☆☆☆
200737.5402 of 56629.0%★☆☆☆☆
20065.3547 of 5592.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200512.4525 of 5575.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20045.6543 of 5501.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20039.2521 of 5423.9%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202534.8261 of 38131.5%★★☆☆☆
202424.4311 of 36915.7%★☆☆☆☆
202342.2218 of 39444.7%★★☆☆☆
202229.8295 of 39324.9%★☆☆☆☆
202141.7203 of 35042.0%★★☆☆☆
201940.6269 of 42136.1%★★☆☆☆
201847.9209 of 41249.3%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202310.8541 of 5806.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20224.4569 of 5730.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201921.9474 of 58819.4%★☆☆☆☆
201825.5442 of 57022.5%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202523.4505 of 61317.6%★☆☆☆☆
202414.3550 of 5998.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202332.8428 of 60829.6%★☆☆☆☆
202215.0539 of 60010.2%★☆☆☆☆
202119.6486 of 58016.2%★☆☆☆☆
201923.2494 of 60017.7%★☆☆☆☆
201827.1464 of 58821.1%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankSouth Carolina percentileRating
202319.5484 of 58216.8%★☆☆☆☆
201910.0555 of 5905.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20187.8555 of 5712.8%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
African American (2025)31st percentile+16 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile+3 vs school
Male (2023)17th percentile-3 vs school
Female (2023)7th percentile-13 vs school
By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts45%-18 vs state
Mathematics27%-23 vs state
Science19%-30 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Edward E. Taylor Elementary

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

Middle : Heyward Gibbes Middle
High : Eau Claire High

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

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

Edward E. Taylor Elementary ranks in the bottom 15.0% of South Carolina elementary schools.


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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.





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