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Polo Road Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

524^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 640 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Polo Road Elementary is a public magnet elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina, serving 659 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Richland 02 school district, which is ranked 37 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its magnet status, Polo Road Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the years, dropping from a high of 184 out of 638 schools in 2014-2015 to a low of 524 out of 640 schools in 2024-2025, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. In comparison, nearby schools like Killian Elementary, Pontiac Elementary, and Forest Lake Elementary have maintained higher rankings and ratings, with 2-3 stars from SchoolDigger. Polo Road Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels, with particularly concerning performance in 4th and 5th grade Mathematics.

Additionally, Polo Road Elementary has experienced a concerning trend of increasing chronic absenteeism, rising from 18.7% in 2022-2023 to 22.5% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 69.8% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024, notably higher than the district and state averages. Despite these challenges, the school has shown some signs of improvement in the past, and its proximity to higher-performing schools within the same district suggests that there may be opportunities for Polo Road Elementary to turn around its performance with the right interventions and support.

665

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,464

Per pupil spending ?

69.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1250 Polo Road
Columbia, SC 29223

(803) 419-2226

District: Richland 02

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.9%

Hispanic:

32.6%

Two or more races:

7.2%

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Compare Polo Road Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (40% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 53 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg55%

South Carolina avg56%

524^th of 640

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 53 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 22Elementary Schools in the Richland 02

37^th of 75Richland 02 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	21.1	524 of 640	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	524 of 638	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	369 of 644	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	420 of 625	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.7	473 of 622	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.7	393 of 643	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	314 of 624	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.6	249 of 639	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.1	216 of 619	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.0	184 of 638	71.2%	★★★★☆
2014	67.2	201 of 630	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.2	246 of 599	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.9	266 of 594	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.5	276 of 597	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	53.9	291 of 589	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	54.2	284 of 580	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.0	155 of 577	73.1%	★★★★☆
2007	64.0	204 of 566	64.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	181 of 381	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.0	195 of 369	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	75.6	61 of 394	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	106 of 393	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	64.8	88 of 350	74.9%	★★★★☆
2019	84.7	34 of 421	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	87.3	25 of 412	93.9%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	68.3	32 of 161	80.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.9	74 of 104	28.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.3	58 of 79	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.3	38 of 72	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.4	58 of 84	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.1	77 of 84	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	82 of 104	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	61 of 82	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	477 of 581	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	461 of 565	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.3	306 of 580	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	397 of 573	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	399 of 554	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.8	360 of 588	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.4	296 of 570	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	112 of 156	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	88 of 115	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	73 of 115	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.6	79 of 115	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.4	76 of 86	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	78 of 116	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	70 of 104	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	517 of 613	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	515 of 599	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.5	355 of 608	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	453 of 600	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	459 of 580	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.5	396 of 600	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.5	267 of 588	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	481 of 586	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	483 of 568	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	384 of 582	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	393 of 579	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.0	464 of 561	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.5	379 of 590	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.2	300 of 571	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2018)80th percentile+30 vs school

African American (2025)52nd percentile+34 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)29th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)28th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)18th percentile~ school

Female (2025)18th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts46%-17 vs state

Mathematics36%-17 vs state

Science32%-17 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Polo Road Elementary

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
Polo Road Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1250 Polo Road	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 419-2226	665	50	13.2		39 (5.9%)	345 (51.9%)	217 (32.6%)	15 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (7.2%)	21.1	524^th of 640 public elementary schools	18.1%		19.9	524^th of 638 public elementary schools	17.9%		47.8	49.5	41.0				41.1	34.0	33.0				32.0			$15,464	$1,280	$1,131	$2,411	$11,315	$1,738	$13,053
E. L. Wright Middle	Public, Magnet	K-8	2740 Alpine Road	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 736-8740	1,275	87	14.5		201 (15.8%)	735 (57.6%)	202 (15.8%)	71 (5.6%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (4.8%)	36.2	405^th of 640 public elementary schools	36.7%		56.5	275^th of 638 public elementary schools	56.9%	130				45.5	48.6	41.1				31.0	27.2	24.5		41.3	97.6	$13,243	$801	$448	$1,249	$9,658	$2,336	$11,994
Windsor Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	9800 Dunbarton Drive	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 736-8723	579	52	11.2		27 (4.7%)	358 (61.8%)	168 (29.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	20 (3.5%)	11.2	593^rd of 640 public elementary schools	7.3%		16.2	545^th of 638 public elementary schools	14.6%	48	37.0	37.4	32.5				38.0	30.3	26.3				23.3			$16,902	$1,736	$1,079	$2,815	$11,627	$2,460	$14,086
L. W. Conder Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	8040 Hunt Club Road	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 736-8720	489	44	11.1		18 (3.7%)	259 (53.0%)	186 (38.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.7%)	15.7	561^st of 640 public elementary schools	12.3%		20	521^st of 638 public elementary schools	18.3%	40	32.9	49.4	36.3				31.4	38.3	20.2				35.8			$18,312	$1,946	$926	$2,872	$12,763	$2,677	$15,440
Jackson Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7150 Trenholm Road Extension	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 790-3800	551	50	10.9		4 (0.7%)	426 (77.3%)	79 (14.3%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.5%)	11.3	589^th of 640 public elementary schools	8.0%		24.9	483^rd of 638 public elementary schools	24.3%	106	40.9	36.7	25.6				34.1	25.4	30.6				26.8			$15,730	$1,991	$706	$2,697	$10,820	$2,213	$13,033
Joseph Keels Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	7500 Springcrest Drive	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 736-8754	465	43	10.9		7 (1.5%)	384 (82.6%)	44 (9.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.1%)	30.1	451^st of 640 public elementary schools	29.5%		29.6	449^th of 638 public elementary schools	29.6%	2	49.2	51.6	49.3				38.4	33.9	50.7				37.1			$17,949	$1,969	$1,001	$2,969	$12,353	$2,628	$14,980
L. B. Nelson Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	225 North Brickyard Road	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 736-8730	541	44	12.2		56 (10.4%)	380 (70.2%)	55 (10.2%)	11 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.0%)	47.9	321^st of 640 public elementary schools	49.8%		47.7	339^th of 638 public elementary schools	46.9%	18	51.8	64.4	58.1				50.6	54.0	45.3				48.6			$15,825	$1,669	$976	$2,645	$10,966	$2,213	$13,179
Forest Lake Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	6801 Brookfield Road	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 782-0470	652	49	13.2		113 (17.3%)	363 (55.7%)	117 (17.9%)	20 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (5.8%)	56	271^st of 640 public elementary schools	57.7%		54.7	285^th of 638 public elementary schools	55.3%	14	65.5	56.0	58.2				60.9	54.9	47.3				54.4			$14,520	$1,089	$725	$1,813	$10,351	$2,357	$12,707
Satchel Ford Elementary	Public	K-5	5901 Satchel Ford Road	Columbia	29206	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 738-7209	721	48	15.1		499 (69.2%)	151 (20.9%)	34 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.1%)	88.2	61^st of 640 public elementary schools	90.5%		89.9	54^th of 638 public elementary schools	91.5%	7	75.9	88.5	73.2				70.6	85.1	63.0				83.5			$16,843	$2,148	$1,176	$3,325	$11,759	$1,759	$13,518
Killian Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2621 Clemson Road	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 699-2981	699	60	11.5		21 (3.0%)	569 (81.4%)	54 (7.7%)	11 (1.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (6.0%)	35.4	414^th of 640 public elementary schools	35.3%		29.2	452^nd of 638 public elementary schools	29.2%	38	43.7	60.2	47.0				45.5	56.2	35.0				43.9			$16,409	$2,523	$948	$3,470	$10,547	$2,392	$12,939

Frequently Asked Questions about Polo Road Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Polo Road Elementary?

Students at Polo Road Elementary are 52% African American, 33% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 6% White, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Polo Road Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 665 students attended Polo Road Elementary.

What district is Polo Road Elementary in?

Richland 02

Is Polo Road Elementary a good school?

Polo Road Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.1% of South Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Polo Road Elementary!

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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.