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School Whitmore School

Public, Charter, Virtual Grades 9-12

200^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 19% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

School Whitmore School is a public charter high school in Columbia, SC, serving 431 students in grades 9-12 under the School Public Charter School District. This school has experienced a dramatic shift in performance over the last five years, going from a top-tier 5-star rating in 2020-2021 to a 1-star rating in the most recent school year, ranking 199th out of 245 schools statewide.

The most striking difference between Whitmore and its neighbors is its operating model. The school spends just $8,616 per student—less than half of what nearby schools like C. A. Johnson High ($29,536) or Eau Claire High ($23,182) spend—and has a student-to-teacher ratio of 28.7:1, more than double the ratio at most surrounding schools. Despite this lean budget, Whitmore shows a clear strength in English 2, where 78.48% of students are proficient, beating Columbia High (76.78%) and Eau Claire High (72.73%). However, math tells a very different story: only 29.09% of students are proficient in Algebra 1, compared to the state average of 73.95%—a gap of nearly 45 percentage points and the lowest rate among all nearby schools.

Parents should be aware of serious challenges with student engagement. The dropout rate of 11.1% is more than five times the state average (2.1%) and nearly double the next highest nearby school, Columbia High at 6.3%. Chronic absenteeism sits at 31.3%, well above the state average of 22.3%. While the school's graduation rate (70.0%) is comparable to C. A. Johnson High (73.0%)—which spends over three times as much per student—it falls far short of higher-performing neighbors like Dreher High (85.4% graduation) and A. C. Flora High (89.4% graduation). In short, Whitmore offers a cost-efficient model with a notable strength in English, but families should weigh the high dropout rate, weak math performance, and recent downward trend carefully.

431

Students ?

28.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,616

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

501 Commerce Drive NE
Columbia, SC 29223

(803) 476-6416

District: School Public Charter School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.7%

African American:

18.8%

Hispanic:

6.0%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare School Whitmore School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (52% vs 69% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the South Carolina average (70% vs 87%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg68%

South Carolina avg69%

200^th of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 34 pts since 2016

From top 46% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 10High Schools in the School Public Charter School District

31^st of 75School Public Charter School District 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	23.6	200 of 248	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	186 of 240	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	180 of 243	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.1	145 of 237	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	111 of 226	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	80.0	22 of 227	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	51.4	78 of 225	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.6	73 of 216	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	30.5	146 of 223	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.7	107 of 231	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.6	104 of 232	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	32.7	145 of 210	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	176 of 229	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	198 of 229	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.4	143 of 231	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	127 of 223	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.6	89 of 220	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.6	68 of 213	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.6	109 of 210	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	202 of 241	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	196 of 230	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.0	135 of 235	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.2	67 of 226	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	60.7	64 of 220	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	57.9	50 of 217	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.1	22 of 214	89.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	163 of 233	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.3	194 of 228	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	164 of 234	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	136 of 229	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	111 of 224	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.5	50 of 218	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	16 of 213	92.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	188 of 203	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.6	196 of 200	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	186 of 202	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	185 of 197	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	143 of 192	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.6	113 of 191	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.6	131 of 185	29.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)30th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)7th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English 278%-5 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution45%-18 vs state

Biology 1/Applied Biology 239%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near School Whitmore School

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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 (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 (2024)	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
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	$8,616	$246	$450	$695	$6,020	$1,900	$7,920
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)
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)
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	100.0%	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	$23,182	$2,212	$1,531	$3,742	$16,261	$3,179	$19,440
C. A. Johnson High	Public	9-12	2219 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 253-7092	344	38	9.0	100.0%	2 (0.6%)	319 (92.7%)	12 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.2%)	18.1	219^th of 248 public high schools	11.7%		26.5	180^th of 240 public high schools	25.0%	39		38.0	40.0	75.8	$29,536	$1,508	$1,904	$3,412	$21,293	$4,831	$26,124
A. C. Flora High	Public	9-12	1 Falcon Drive	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 738-7300	1,328	85	15.6	100.0%	602 (45.3%)	523 (39.4%)	113 (8.5%)	24 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	63 (4.7%)	62.6	92^nd of 248 public high schools	62.9%		43.5	129^th of 240 public high schools	46.3%	37		60.1	67.3	86.4	$16,591	$996	$1,045	$2,041	$12,067	$2,483	$14,550
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	100.0%	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	$22,423	$1,390	$1,218	$2,608	$16,274	$3,541	$19,815
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	$16,712	$1,045	$593	$1,638	$11,424	$3,651	$15,075
Dreher High	Public	9-12	3319 Millwood Avenue	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 253-7000	1,144	78	14.7	100.0%	387 (33.8%)	560 (49.0%)	103 (9.0%)	20 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	71 (6.2%)	72.2	58^th of 248 public high schools	76.6%		59.5	81^st of 240 public high schools	66.3%	23		67.6	67.2	89.8	$18,263	$1,246	$1,102	$2,347	$13,403	$2,512	$15,916
Richland One Charter Middle College	Public, Charter	11-12	316 South Beltline Boulevard R	Columbia	29205	Richland County	Richland 01	Yes	No	No	No	(803) 738-7114	106	5	23.5	100.0%	14 (13.2%)	78 (73.6%)	5 (4.7%)	3 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.7%)								(n/a)			61.7		$19,050	$1,095	$1,068	$2,163	$13,550	$3,338	$16,887

Frequently Asked Questions about School Whitmore School

What is the racial makeup of School Whitmore School?

Students at School Whitmore School are 72% White, 19% African American, 6% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend School Whitmore School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 431 students attended School Whitmore School.

What district is School Whitmore School in?

School Public Charter School District

Is School Whitmore School a good school?

School Whitmore School ranks in the bottom 19.4% of South Carolina high schools.

Rate School Whitmore School!

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 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.