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Westwood High

Q: Is Westwood High a good school?

Westwood High ranks 161 st of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

161^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 35% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Westwood High in Blythewood, SC, is a large public high school serving 1,743 students in grades 9-12 within the Richland 02 school district. The school has earned a 2-star rating from the state, with academic performance that has remained remarkably consistent over the past decade, hovering in the 30th-38th percentile statewide. While the school's graduation rate has fluctuated significantly in recent years—dipping to 75.8% in 2023-2024 before rebounding to 82.3%—it still trails both the district (86.6%) and state (86.7%) averages.

The most pressing concern for parents to understand is Westwood's chronic absenteeism rate, which is alarmingly high at 28.7%—far exceeding the district average of 18.3% and the state average of 22.3%. This is especially striking when compared to nearby Blythewood High, located just 2.75 miles away, which boasts only a 14.5% chronic absenteeism rate and a 93.9% graduation rate. This "Blythewood Paradox" suggests the challenges Westwood faces are not inherent to the community but rather specific to the school's environment and student engagement. The attendance issue is likely a major driver of the school's below-average performance on End-of-Course exams, particularly in Algebra 1, where proficiency rates have lagged 15-20 percentage points behind the district average for three consecutive years.

On a more positive note, Westwood demonstrates notable strengths with specific student groups. The school ranks in the 57th and 60th percentiles for its African American and Hispanic students respectively, earning 3-star ratings for both groups. It has also shown marked improvement in serving students with disabilities, climbing from the 34th percentile to the 49th percentile over the past two years. However, the school struggles most with its economically disadvantaged students, who rank in the 32nd percentile. Notably, Westwood's per-student spending of $13,394 is actually higher than its higher-performing neighbors, Blythewood High ($12,801) and Spring Valley High ($12,832), indicating that financial resources are not the primary obstacle. The path forward for Westwood lies in a comprehensive strategy focused on improving attendance and providing targeted academic support to bridge the significant achievement gaps.

1,743

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,325

Per pupil spending ?

55.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2023-24) ?

180 Turkey Farm Road
Blythewood, SC 29016

(803) 691-4049

District: Richland 02

Feeder schools for Westwood High:

Elementary:	Bethel-Hanberry Elementary
	Killian Elementary
	Sandlapper Elementary
Middle:	Longleaf Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

79.1%

Hispanic:

8.1%

White:

7.1%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Westwood High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (60% vs 69% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 21% South Carolina)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg64%

South Carolina avg69%

161^st of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 35%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5High Schools in the Richland 02

36^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
2026	35.7	161 of 248	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.9	153 of 240	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	156 of 243	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	146 of 237	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	158 of 226	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	103 of 227	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.8	138 of 225	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.8	148 of 216	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.4	156 of 223	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.7	149 of 231	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.7	159 of 232	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	87 of 200	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.0	74 of 196	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.8	70 of 197	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.0	65 of 199	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	66 of 190	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	79.1	18 of 178	89.9%	★★★★★
2019	57.2	58 of 184	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	75 of 183	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	70 of 136	48.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.0	91 of 140	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	97 of 147	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.1	78 of 141	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	87 of 139	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.9	91 of 143	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	83 of 137	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.0	151 of 229	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.7	121 of 229	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	153 of 231	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	138 of 223	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	146 of 220	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.7	74 of 213	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.1	137 of 213	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.5	143 of 210	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.9	100 of 155	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.6	134 of 154	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.2	110 of 158	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.0	134 of 156	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	50 of 124	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.9	47 of 122	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.5	46 of 122	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	60 of 119	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.4	61 of 108	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.1	25 of 86	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.4	22 of 80	72.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	162 of 241	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.9	146 of 230	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.7	152 of 235	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	144 of 226	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	154 of 220	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.1	107 of 213	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.4	132 of 217	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.2	160 of 214	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.3	164 of 233	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.7	171 of 228	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	155 of 234	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	143 of 229	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.0	168 of 224	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.2	101 of 215	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.8	129 of 218	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.2	152 of 213	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	19 of 21	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.8	15 of 21	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.3	10 of 15	33.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.3	14 of 15	6.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	42.4	33 of 53	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.4	85 of 203	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.7	57 of 200	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	56.6	75 of 202	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	91 of 197	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	109 of 192	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	72 of 191	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	93 of 185	49.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+25 vs school

White (2026)58th percentile+23 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile+21 vs school

Disabled (2026)49th percentile+13 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)38th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)35th percentile~ school

Female (2026)34th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)30th percentile-5 vs school

Military Connected (2026)10th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 277%-7 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution60%-3 vs state

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 255%-9 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 246%-14 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Tuesday, August 18, 2020

I have taught science in five different high schools in the Upstate and Midlands of SC over the past 29 years. I can honestly attest to the fact that Westwood has the most devoted, supportive Administrative Team and teachers/staff of any of the other schools in which I have worked. I love Westwood. We have many terrific students and parents here. I will always cherish the time that I have spent here at Westwood High School. I am grateful to be a part of the Westwood Family! Close Quote

Schools Near Westwood High

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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)				EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2023-24)	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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 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
Westwood High	Public, Magnet	9-12	180 Turkey Farm Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 691-4049	1,743	106	16.4	55.1%	124 (7.1%)	1,378 (79.1%)	141 (8.1%)	16 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (4.4%)	35.7	161^st of 248 public high schools	35.1%		34.9	153^rd of 240 public high schools	36.3%	8	55.4	46.4	59.7	77.0	$14,325	$300	$572	$872	$10,297	$3,156	$13,453
Blythewood High	Public	9-12	10901 Wilson Boulevard	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 691-4090	2,164	140	15.4	28.7%	666 (30.8%)	1,144 (52.9%)	178 (8.2%)	49 (2.3%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	114 (5.3%)	64.1	86^th of 248 public high schools	65.3%		64.8	65^th of 240 public high schools	72.9%	21	54.8	62.4	73.0	85.0	$13,302	$297	$595	$892	$10,020	$2,390	$12,410
Ridge View High	Public, Magnet	9-12	4801 Hard Scrabble Road	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-2999	1,631	99	16.5	49.0%	92 (5.6%)	1,298 (79.6%)	119 (7.3%)	18 (1.1%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	94 (5.8%)	48.1	132^nd of 248 public high schools	46.8%		41.4	135^th of 240 public high schools	43.8%	3	54.7	55.0	59.7	82.3	$14,653	$344	$763	$1,106	$10,575	$2,972	$13,546
W.J. Keenan High	Public, Magnet	9-12	361 Pisgah Church Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 714-2500	675	53	12.7	—	10 (1.5%)	610 (90.4%)	34 (5.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.0%)	27.7	187^th of 248 public high schools	24.6%		27.1	178^th of 240 public high schools	25.8%	9		33.3	53.4	79.9	$21,735	$1,101	$901	$2,002	$16,354	$3,379	$19,733
Manning High	Public	9-12	502 Beckman Drive	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 935-7203	2	4	.5	—	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)	1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Spring Valley High	Public, Magnet	9-12	120 Sparkleberry Lane	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-3500	2,230	125	17.8	44.0%	413 (18.5%)	1,209 (54.2%)	337 (15.1%)	151 (6.8%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	113 (5.1%)	48.9	131^st of 248 public high schools	47.2%		43.9	127^th of 240 public high schools	47.1%	4	66.2	51.8	57.8	84.7	$13,898	$437	$598	$1,035	$10,348	$2,516	$12,864
School Whitmore School	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	501 Commerce Drive NE	Columbia	29223	Richland County	School Public Charter School District	Yes	No	Yes	No	(803) 476-6416	431	15	28.7	54.2%	309 (71.7%)	81 (18.8%)	26 (6.0%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	23.6	200^th of 248 public high schools	19.4%		23.4	186^th of 240 public high schools	22.5%	14		38.6	44.9	78.5	$9,106	$195	$96	$291	$6,740	$2,074	$8,815
Richland Northeast High	Public, Magnet	9-12	7500 Brookfield Road	Columbia	29223	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-2800	1,340	101	13.3	67.9%	112 (8.4%)	857 (64.0%)	296 (22.1%)	19 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	50 (3.7%)	24	199^th of 248 public high schools	19.8%		15.8	208^th of 240 public high schools	13.3%	9	65.3	39.9	39.1	73.2	$17,158	$676	$689	$1,365	$12,077	$3,716	$15,793
Samuel A. Heyward Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	3560 Lynhaven Drive	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 735-3343	0	23	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Eau Claire High	Public	9-12	4800 Monticello Road	Columbia	29203	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 735-7600	542	47	11.6	—	7 (1.3%)	438 (80.8%)	72 (13.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.9%)	18.1	217^th of 248 public high schools	12.5%		6.9	229^th of 240 public high schools	4.6%	12		39.2	45.5	72.7	$22,961	$1,801	$1,024	$2,825	$16,650	$3,486	$20,136

Frequently Asked Questions about Westwood High

Is Westwood High a good school?

Westwood High ranks 161^st of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Westwood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,743 students attended Westwood High.

What schools feed into Westwood High?

Westwood High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bethel-Hanberry Elementary
Elementary : Killian Elementary
Elementary : Sandlapper Elementary
Middle : Longleaf Middle

What is the racial makeup of Westwood High?

Students at Westwood High are 79% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Westwood High in?

Richland 02

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 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.