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Empowerment and Enrichment Academy

Q: Is Empowerment and Enrichment Academy a good school?

Empowerment and Enrichment Academy ranks in the bottom 0.4% of South Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Empowerment and Enrichment Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 0 students attended Empowerment and Enrichment Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Empowerment and Enrichment Academy?

Students at Empowerment and Enrichment Academy are .

Public Grades 5-12

244^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 245 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 0% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Empowerment and Enrichment Academy in Columbia, SC, is a specialized educational facility serving grades 5 through 12 within the Dept of Juvenile Justice system, operating with a highly transient student population that standard metrics often fail to capture.

This school is fundamentally different from traditional public high schools in the area. Rather than serving a stable neighborhood population like Dutch Fork High (1,703 students) or River Bluff High (2,117 students), it serves youth within the juvenile justice system. The academic outcomes, however, are stark. The school has consistently ranked at or near the very bottom of all South Carolina high schools, placing in the 0th percentile for the 2025-2026 school year and never ranking above the 4th percentile since at least 2012-2013. Test proficiency rates are critically low, with 0% of 8th-grade students proficient in Mathematics and 0% proficient in U.S. History. The one notable exception is English 2, where proficiency reached 57.14% in 2024-2025—still well below the state average of 86.41%, but a significant outlier compared to other subjects. This could reflect a particular strength in that curriculum or simply the volatility of a very small testing cohort.

For parents considering this school, it's essential to understand that this is not a typical school choice. The Dept of Juvenile Justice district itself ranks 75th out of 75 districts in the state, and the school does not report standard metrics like graduation rates, dropout rates, or chronic absenteeism. The most relevant comparisons are to other correctional facilities like Sara Babb High, Broad River High, and Kirkland High, though no data is available for those schools to provide a true benchmark. The consistent bottom-tier rankings over a decade point to systemic challenges within the juvenile justice education system that go beyond any single school's efforts.

Students ?

0.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

95.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5000 Broad River Road
Columbia, SC 29212

(803) 896-9114

District: Dept of Juvenile Justice

Racial breakdown:

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Empowerment and Enrichment Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — <1st percentile in 2013 → <1st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 0 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (18% vs 62% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 45 pts below the South Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg18%

South Carolina avg62%

244^th of 245

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

75^th of 75Dept of Juvenile Justice 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2010	0.7	259 of 261	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.4	248 of 249	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.5	244 of 244	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	0.1	236 of 236	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.7	230 of 231	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	0.1	230 of 230	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	1.0	244 of 245	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	0.3	235 of 235	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.6	237 of 237	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.2	225 of 225	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.4	216 of 216	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.6	222 of 223	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.8	231 of 231	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.2	223 of 232	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.2	208 of 210	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.6	202 of 203	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.6	199 of 202	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.4	198 of 199	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.4	195 of 199	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	1.8	182 of 183	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	1.4	228 of 231	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.2	229 of 229	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.3	212 of 213	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

High school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

African American (2018)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 245%-38 vs state

English 120%-41 vs state

English Language Arts14%-45 vs state

Mathematics0%-44 vs state

★

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Schools Near Empowerment and Enrichment Academy

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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)	EOCEP English 1 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (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 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP English 1 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
Empowerment and Enrichment Academy	Public	5-12	5000 Broad River Road	Columbia	29212	Richland County	Dept of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-9114	0	4	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	1	244^th of 245 public high schools	0.4%		0.3	235^th of 235 public high schools	0.0%	9			13.8			0.0		20.0		45.5
The Palmetto Empowerment and Enrichment Academy	Public	5-12	5000 Broad River Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Dept of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-5952	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Sara Babb High	Public	9-12	4450 Broad River Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 896-2714	8	4	2.0		1 (12.5%)	6 (75.0%)	1 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Broad River High	Public	9-12	4460 Broad River Road	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	No	(803) 896-2714	28	1	28.0		2 (7.1%)	25 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Kirkland High	Public	9-12	4344 Broad River	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Dept Of Correction N04	No	No	No	No	(803) 896-2708	42	1	42.0		6 (14.3%)	34 (81.0%)	2 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Columbia High	Public	9-12	1701 Westchester Drive	Columbia	29210	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 731-8950	681	54	12.6		18 (2.6%)	579 (85.0%)	45 (6.6%)	15 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (3.4%)	21.7	206^th of 245 public high schools	15.9%		12	215^th of 235 public high schools	8.5%	9								36.4	46.8	76.8	$21,575	$1,744	$2,088	$3,832	$14,838	$2,905	$17,743
Irmo High	Public, Magnet	9-12	6671 St. Andrews Road	Columbia	29212	Lexington County	Lexington 05	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 476-5000	1,272	107	11.9		297 (23.3%)	732 (57.5%)	100 (7.9%)	47 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	11 (0.9%)	83 (6.5%)	29.1	181^st of 245 public high schools	26.1%		37.6	145^th of 235 public high schools	38.3%	36								38.2	59.4	79.2	$15,789	$746	$450	$1,196	$12,543	$2,050	$14,593
River Bluff High	Public	9-12	320 Corley Mill Road	Lexington	29072	Lexington County	Lexington 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 821-0700	2,117	131	16.1		1,422 (67.2%)	230 (10.9%)	188 (8.9%)	180 (8.5%)	2 (0.1%)	6 (0.3%)	89 (4.2%)	83.8	34^th of 245 public high schools	86.1%		76.9	33^rd of 235 public high schools	86.0%	1								73.7	75.2	94.4	$14,256	$557	$367	$924	$11,421	$1,911	$13,332
Gray Collegiate Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	3833 Leaphart Road	West Columbia	29169	Lexington County	Charter Institute at Erskine	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 951-3321	935	38	24.9		667 (71.3%)	153 (16.4%)	62 (6.6%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.1%)	94.3	11^th of 245 public high schools	95.5%		93.1	7^th of 235 public high schools	97.0%	4	75.2	88.8	91.3	59.6	71.7	88.0	65.1	86.2	86.2	99.5	$9,602	$1,106	$181	$1,286	$5,154	$3,162	$8,316
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	215^th of 245 public high schools	12.2%		6.9	225^th of 235 public high schools	4.3%	10								39.2	45.5	72.7	$23,182	$2,212	$1,531	$3,742	$16,261	$3,179	$19,440

Frequently Asked Questions about Empowerment and Enrichment Academy

How many students attend Empowerment and Enrichment Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 0 students attended Empowerment and Enrichment Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Empowerment and Enrichment Academy?

Students at Empowerment and Enrichment Academy are .

Is Empowerment and Enrichment Academy a good school?

Empowerment and Enrichment Academy ranks in the bottom 0.4% of South Carolina high schools.

What district is Empowerment and Enrichment Academy in?

Dept of Juvenile Justice

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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.