Summary:
Zip code 29172 in West Columbia, SC is home to 2 elementary schools serving grades PK-5 and 2-5, both part of the Lexington 02 school district, which holds a 2-star rating and ranks 53rd out of 75 districts in the state.
For parents comparing the two schools, Herbert A. Wood Elementary is the larger option with 938 students and is the only school in the area offering Pre-K and Kindergarten. It holds a slightly higher overall state ranking (24th percentile) and shows the strongest 3rd grade ELA performance at 54.2% proficiency. However, Congaree Elementary offers a more intimate setting with just 352 students and the lowest student-teacher ratio at 12.5:1. Despite its smaller size, Congaree outperforms Herbert A. Wood in every grade level of mathematics, including a notable 43.2% proficiency in 4th grade math compared to Herbert A. Wood's 36.5%. Congaree also demonstrated the most dramatic improvement, jumping from the 15th to 27th percentile in state rankings over one year, while Herbert A. Wood improved from 20th to 24th percentile.
Both schools face significant challenges, trailing state averages in all subjects and grade levels. The most concerning trend is declining math proficiency as students advance, with 5th grade math dropping to just 26.3% at Herbert A. Wood and 32.9% at Congaree. Chronic absenteeism affects roughly 1 in 4 students at both schools (23.8% and 22.8% respectively), which is above the state average of 22.3%. Despite spending approximately $17,400 per student at each school—a notably high figure—neither achieves state-average proficiency, suggesting that funding alone is not driving results. The district should prioritize targeted math interventions, attendance improvement programs, and strategies to reverse the upper-grade academic decline.
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