Summary:
Zip code 29203 in Columbia, SC is home to 2 public high schools serving grades 9-12, both part of the Richland 01 school district, which holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom third of South Carolina districts.
For parents comparing the two schools, W.J. Keenan High is the stronger overall choice. It enrolls 675 students and has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from the 9th to 24th percentile in state rankings over two years. Keenan outperforms Eau Claire High in most academic areas, including English 2 proficiency (79.89% vs. 72.73%), U.S. History (53.37% vs. 45.54%), and has a lower dropout rate (3.1% vs. 3.9%). Keenan also has lower chronic absenteeism at 36.1%, though this remains well above the state average of 22.3%. Eau Claire High, with 542 students, spends more per student ($23,182 vs. $22,423) and has a slightly better student-teacher ratio (11.6:1 vs. 12.7:1), yet still trails Keenan on most metrics. The most concerning issue at Eau Claire is that 53.9% of students are chronically absent—more than double the state average—which likely drives its lower performance.
Both schools face significant challenges. Academic proficiency in English 1 is particularly weak (33.33% at Keenan, 39.22% at Eau Claire, vs. 60.91% statewide), though English 2 results are much stronger, suggesting possible student growth or curriculum differences. Graduation rates are relatively respectable (83.4% at Keenan, 84.1% at Eau Claire) despite below-average test scores. Notably, Keenan's U.S. History proficiency exceeds its district average, indicating an instructional strength that could be replicated. The high per-student spending at both schools—roughly $22,000-$23,000—has not translated into state-average outcomes, suggesting that addressing chronic absenteeism, especially at Eau Claire, may be the most impactful strategy for improvement.
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