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Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus

Q: Is Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus a good school?

Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus ranks 181 st of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

181^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 661 South Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of South Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus is a public school in Blythewood, SC, serving 523 students in grades 3 through 5 as part of the Richland 02 school district.

This school is a strong academic performer, consistently earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past five years and ranking in the 73rd to 80th percentile statewide. What truly sets it apart is its remarkable success with all student groups. The school ranks in the 94th and 95th percentile statewide for African American students and the 99th percentile for Hispanic students, making it exceptionally effective at serving these populations compared to schools across South Carolina. Test scores consistently outpace both the district and state averages in nearly every subject and grade level. For example, 5th-grade math proficiency hit 71.3% in 2024-2025, a full 23 points higher than the district average. The school also boasts an impressively low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.9%, far below the district's 18.3% and the state's 22.3%, indicating a highly engaged student body and strong school culture.

Compared to nearby schools, Lake Carolina Upper Campus is a clear leader in its area. It ranks second only to Round Top Elementary in overall state ranking, but its chronic absenteeism rate is even lower than Round Top's 8.4%. The school also achieves these results efficiently, spending $14,706 per student—less than nearby Bookman Road Elementary ($19,019) and North Springs Elementary ($16,072), both of which have lower performance. One area to watch is a slight decline in state ranking over the past decade, from the 91st-95th percentile (5 stars) in 2016-2019 to the current 73rd-77th percentile (4 stars). Additionally, while the school excels with minority students, its performance with White students dipped to the 66th percentile in 2025-2026, suggesting an opportunity to ensure high achievement across all demographics. Overall, this is a cost-effective, high-performing school with a particularly strong track record in math and an exceptional ability to support diverse learners.

523

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,823

Per pupil spending ?

32.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2023-24) ?

1261 Kelly Mill Road
Blythewood, SC 29016

(803) 691-3360

District: Richland 02

Students who attend Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus usually attend:

High:

Blythewood High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.6%

White:

26.6%

Hispanic:

10.5%

See top rated South Carolina elementary schools

Compare Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2017 → 73rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the South Carolina average (65% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Richland 02

✓Above the South Carolina median (73rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2017

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg55%

South Carolina avg58%

181^st of 661

South Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▼ down 22 pts since 2017

From top 5% (2017) to top 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 22Elementary 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	71.5	181 of 661	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	76.1	151 of 639	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	73.4	167 of 643	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	145 of 644	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.1	123 of 625	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	81.6	103 of 622	83.4%	★★★★☆
2019	87.8	61 of 643	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.7	45 of 624	92.8%	★★★★★
2017	92.5	33 of 639	94.8%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	85.7	21 of 384	94.5%	★★★★★
2025	87.1	20 of 380	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	87.4	20 of 369	94.6%	★★★★★
2023	87.0	31 of 394	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.0	12 of 393	96.9%	★★★★★
2021	93.2	12 of 350	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	5 of 421	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	98.2	3 of 412	99.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.2	57 of 156	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.3	43 of 147	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	66.0	40 of 143	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	51.4	69 of 174	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	61 of 151	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.0	42 of 189	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.7	11 of 161	93.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.7	168 of 599	72.0%	★★★★☆
2025	76.9	118 of 580	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.6	162 of 568	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.8	116 of 580	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	111 of 573	80.6%	★★★★☆
2021	77.2	114 of 554	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	89.6	39 of 588	93.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.6	36 of 570	93.7%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.6	69 of 196	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.8	18 of 82	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	67.5	38 of 105	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.7	58 of 109	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.8	87 of 147	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	1 of 156	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	3 of 114	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	85.5	13 of 115	88.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	186 of 634	70.7%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	177 of 612	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	63.8	207 of 602	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	220 of 608	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.1	197 of 600	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	214 of 580	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.6	198 of 600	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.9	69 of 588	88.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.5	178 of 591	69.9%	★★★★☆
2025	71.5	166 of 585	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	153 of 571	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	68.9	172 of 582	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	138 of 579	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	80.6	92 of 561	83.6%	★★★★☆
2019	82.4	86 of 590	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	86.1	69 of 571	87.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	63.5	3 of 9	66.7%	★★★★☆
2022	62.2	5 of 7	28.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	94.5	1 of 7	85.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.8	159 of 463	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	83.0	53 of 459	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	104 of 446	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.3	43 of 463	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	81.6	67 of 455	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	83.9	57 of 439	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	88.4	40 of 472	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	88.2	38 of 457	91.7%	★★★★★

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 (2025)99th percentile+23 vs school

African American (2026)95th percentile+22 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)86th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)72nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile~ school

Male (2026)70th percentile-3 vs school

Military Connected (2023)67th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)65th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2026)63rd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts72%+7 vs state

Science64%+13 vs state

Mathematics59%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus

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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 (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	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
Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus	Public	3-5	1261 Kelly Mill Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 691-3360	523	37	14.2	32.9%	139 (26.6%)	275 (52.6%)	55 (10.5%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	37 (7.1%)	71.5	181^st of 661 public elementary schools	72.6%		76.1	151^st of 639 public elementary schools	76.4%	30	69.4	72.8	72.5				63.4	57.0	58.2				64.1		$15,823	$495	$1,430	$1,924	$11,918	$1,980	$13,898
Lake Carolina Elementary Lower Campus	Public	PK, KG-2	1151 Kelly Mill Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 714-1300	531	39	13.5	41.9%	145 (27.3%)	248 (46.7%)	68 (12.8%)	12 (2.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (10.5%)								(n/a)															$15,529	$684	$1,378	$2,062	$11,272	$2,194	$13,467
Round Top Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	449 Rimer Pond Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 691-8676	581	46	12.5	35.7%	188 (32.4%)	269 (46.3%)	58 (10.0%)	28 (4.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.4%)	81.4	116^th of 661 public elementary schools	82.5%		85.8	80^th of 639 public elementary schools	87.5%	36	83.1	73.0	79.1				74.2	58.0	64.3				68.0		$15,717	$514	$1,560	$2,074	$11,754	$1,889	$13,643
Rice Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4751 Hard Scrabble Road	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-2900	718	55	13.1	60.9%	38 (5.3%)	538 (74.9%)	57 (7.9%)	18 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (9.1%)	38.8	406^th of 661 public elementary schools	38.6%		49.2	312^th of 639 public elementary schools	51.2%	94	56.5	59.3	61.4				46.3	47.8	33.6				46.9		$15,766	$897	$1,415	$2,312	$11,540	$1,914	$13,454
Bridge Creek Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	121 Bombing Range Road	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 462-3900	564	47	12.1	60.1%	63 (11.2%)	374 (66.3%)	77 (13.7%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (7.4%)	41.9	386^th of 661 public elementary schools	41.6%		43.6	352^nd of 639 public elementary schools	44.9%	34	50.0	68.4	58.7				53.4	48.7	44.4				39.5		$16,658	$383	$1,870	$2,252	$12,226	$2,179	$14,406
Sandlapper Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Longtown Road	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 691-4045	671	51	13.2	63.4%	45 (6.7%)	517 (77.0%)	52 (7.7%)	21 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (5.2%)	35.6	426^th of 661 public elementary schools	35.6%		44.7	343^rd of 639 public elementary schools	46.3%	83	53.9	53.5	57.5				47.3	46.6	39.7				44.5		$15,904	$711	$1,638	$2,350	$11,633	$1,921	$13,554
Langford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Langford Road	Blythewood	29016	Richland County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 691-4091	631	42	15.1	49.8%	138 (21.9%)	371 (58.8%)	69 (10.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	42 (6.7%)	55.9	273^rd of 661 public elementary schools	58.7%		51.3	302^nd of 639 public elementary schools	52.7%	29	71.6	63.5	72.5				56.8	50.4	44.0				47.8		$14,447	$601	$1,369	$1,969	$10,681	$1,796	$12,478
Summit Parkway Middle	Public, Magnet	K-8	200 Summit Parkway	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 699-3580	1,229	84	14.5	52.0%	193 (15.7%)	731 (59.5%)	163 (13.3%)	40 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	96 (7.8%)	49	323^rd of 661 public elementary schools	51.1%		31.9	435^th of 639 public elementary schools	31.9%	112	69.8	90.0	86.5	50.4	51.3	47.0	58.1	72.5	81.1	35.8	21.8	32.7	62.5	40.4	$12,538	$251	$598	$850	$9,759	$1,929	$11,688
North Springs Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1300 Clemson Road	Columbia	29229	Richland County	Richland 02	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 736-3183	659	53	12.4	62.9%	52 (7.9%)	486 (73.7%)	64 (9.7%)	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (5.8%)	40.6	397^th of 661 public elementary schools	39.9%		37.3	395^th of 639 public elementary schools	38.2%	2	59.6	63.4	59.1				55.3	39.8	35.4				45.1		$16,843	$572	$1,501	$2,072	$12,927	$1,844	$14,770
Bookman Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1245 Bookman Road	Elgin	29045	Kershaw County	Richland 02	No	No	No	No	(803) 699-1724	535	43	12.3	51.2%	101 (18.9%)	314 (58.7%)	72 (13.5%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (6.9%)	57.6	264^th of 661 public elementary schools	60.1%		59.2	261^st of 639 public elementary schools	59.2%	3	74.6	71.9	55.1				69.8	48.8	35.0				60.9		$17,490	$737	$1,399	$2,135	$13,484	$1,870	$15,354

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus

How many students attend Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus?

In the 2024-25 school year, 523 students attended Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Is Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus a good school?

Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus ranks 181^st of 661 South Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus?

Students at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus are 53% African American, 27% White, 11% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus attend?

Students who attend Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus usually go on to attend:

High : Blythewood High

What district is Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus 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.