Best Public Schools in Zip Code 29204

Summary:

The 29204 zip code area of South Carolina is home to 8 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools, all part of the Richland 01 school district. While the district is ranked 52 out of 75 in the state and has a 2-star rating, some schools in the area stand out for their strong academic performance, while others face significant challenges.

Bradley Elementary and Carver-Lyon Elementary, both public magnet schools, consistently outperform the district and state averages in English Language Arts. In contrast, Watkins-Nance Elementary and Burton Pack Elementary struggle, with only 30.6% and 38.9% of 5th graders proficient or better in ELA, respectively, compared to the state average of 62.5%. The public magnet W.G. Sanders Middle also stands out for its 100% proficiency rate in Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2.

Across the schools in the 29204 zip code, there are concerning trends, such as a consistently high 22.5% chronic absenteeism rate and 100% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating high poverty levels. Additionally, the wide range in per-student spending, from $16,046 at A.C. Flora High to $29,634 at Carver-Lyon Elementary, suggests potential inequities in resource allocation within the Richland 01 district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SC READY English Language Arts (2025)						SC READY Mathematics (2025)						SC READY Science (2025)		EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2025)	EOCEP English 1 (2025)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2025)	EOCEP English 2 (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	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
Carver-Lyon Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2100 Waverly Street	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 343-2900	417	47	8.8		32 (7.7%)	302 (72.4%)	62 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	28.4	462^nd of 640 public elementary schools	27.8%		32.8	428^th of 638 public elementary schools	32.9%	34	61.4	55.5	49.0				43.9	38.3	27.2				28.3						$29,568	$2,186	$1,377	$3,563	$22,536	$3,469	$26,005
Burton Pack Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Garden Drive	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 691-5550	255	26	9.8		1 (0.4%)	227 (89.0%)	13 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.5%)	6.1	628^th of 640 public elementary schools	1.9%		4.4	634^th of 638 public elementary schools	0.6%	6	38.4	28.9	38.9				20.6	18.4	19.5				18.4						$21,148	$2,039	$1,747	$3,786	$14,686	$2,677	$17,363
Watkins-Nance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2525 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 733-4321	499	30	16.6		8 (1.6%)	432 (86.6%)	20 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.4%)	9.3	608^th of 640 public elementary schools	5.0%		7.9	617^th of 638 public elementary schools	3.3%	9	36.6	41.0	30.6				39.5	25.8	11.1				21.2						$19,750	$3,013	$1,958	$4,972	$12,406	$2,372	$14,778
Bradley Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3032 Pinebelt Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(803) 738-7200	392	33	11.8		20 (5.1%)	274 (69.9%)	66 (16.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	22 (5.6%)	39.8	381^st of 640 public elementary schools	40.5%		44.1	358^th of 638 public elementary schools	43.9%	23	48.9	53.9	60.3				46.8	50.0	46.6				36.6						$22,878	$3,074	$1,695	$4,769	$15,499	$2,611	$18,110
W. A. Perry Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Barhamville Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 256-6347	320	32	10.0		2 (0.6%)	289 (90.3%)	11 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.6%)	13.4	288^th of 320 public middle schools	10.0%		16.8	276^th of 325 public middle schools	15.1%	12				34.8	46.8	34.7				10.2	12.6	9.1		22.0	90.5				$30,818	$3,082	$2,054	$5,136	$19,110	$6,573	$25,683
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		602 (45.3%)	523 (39.4%)	113 (8.5%)	24 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	63 (4.7%)	43.5	128^th of 235 public high schools	45.5%		57.3	83^rd of 235 public high schools	64.7%	45															42.2	49.0	62.2	90.6	$16,591	$996	$1,045	$2,041	$12,067	$2,483	$14,550
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		2 (0.6%)	319 (92.7%)	12 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.2%)	26.5	177^th of 235 public high schools	24.7%		9.7	217^th of 235 public high schools	7.7%	40															67.0	45.4	31.2	85.6	$29,536	$1,508	$1,904	$3,412	$21,293	$4,831	$26,124
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)
W. G. Sanders Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	3455 Pine Belt Road	Columbia	29204	Richland County	Richland 01	No	Yes	No	No	(803) 735-7575	503	54	9.3		59 (11.7%)	376 (74.8%)	46 (9.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	31.9	221^st of 320 public middle schools	30.9%		40	185^th of 325 public middle schools	43.1%	36				44.3	37.5	56.2				23.6	18.2	29.4		37.2	100.0				$20,208	$1,375	$1,201	$2,576	$14,996	$2,637	$17,633

Cities Near Zip Code 29204

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Columbia	0.39 mi	82	150^th
Cayce	4.66 mi	3	189^th
West Columbia	5.25 mi	17	102^nd
Lexington	8.7 mi	23	43^rd
Hopkins	9.23 mi	5	176^th

See the top SC South Carolina cities

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.