Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 29204

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its South Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

At a glance

Schools

1,563

Students

Top rankedBradley Elementary424^th of 649 South Carolina elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Burton Pack Elementary up 47 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked South Carolina schools →

Summary:

Zip code 29204 in Columbia, SC is served by four elementary schools—Watkins-Nance Elementary, Carver-Lyon Elementary, Bradley Elementary, and Burton Pack Elementary—all part of the Richland 01 district, which ranks in the bottom third of South Carolina districts.

For parents, the standout choice is Bradley Elementary, which outperforms its local peers in nearly every category. It ranks 424th in the state (35th percentile) and posts the strongest math scores, with 4th graders hitting 54.7% proficiency—above both the district (42%) and state (52.3%) averages. Its overall ELA average (53.6%) is also competitive. Carver-Lyon Elementary is a close second in ELA, leading the group with a 54.9% average, driven by an impressive 68.4% 4th-grade score. However, Carver-Lyon spends far more per student ($29,568) than Bradley ($22,878) yet ranks lower (483rd vs. 424th), suggesting Bradley gets more from its resources. Watkins-Nance Elementary and Burton Pack Elementary lag significantly, with math averages around 26-28% and state rankings in the bottom 10%.

The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism. Burton Pack has a staggering 52.3% chronic absenteeism rate—more than double the district average (26.7%)—and Watkins-Nance sits at 40.4%. Both schools struggle academically, while Carver-Lyon (22.2%) and Bradley (27.9%) have better attendance and better outcomes. Resource allocation is also uneven: Watkins-Nance has a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio and $19,750 per-student spending, while Carver-Lyon enjoys an 8.8:1 ratio and $29,568 per student—a 50% gap within the same district. If you're choosing a school, Bradley offers the best balance of performance and efficiency, but attendance issues at the other schools should be a priority for district leaders.

Load more schools when map is moved

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)	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 3rd Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 4th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 5th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 3rd Grade	SC READY Mathematics 4th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 5th Grade	SC READY Science 4th Grade	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%)	25.8	483^rd of 649 public elementary schools	25.6%		28.4	462^nd of 640 public elementary schools	27.8%	21	51.7	68.4	44.6	41.4	33.4	23.0	42.1	$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%)	14.8	581^st of 649 public elementary schools	10.5%		6.1	628^th of 640 public elementary schools	1.9%	47	36.6	54.2	42.8	20.0	41.2	23.5	29.4	$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%)	10.1	617^th of 649 public elementary schools	4.9%		9.3	608^th of 640 public elementary schools	5.0%	9	39.3	45.3	43.9	29.2	27.0	22.7	25.4	$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%)	34.8	424^th of 649 public elementary schools	34.7%		39.8	381^st of 640 public elementary schools	40.5%	43	44.8	62.3	53.7	41.4	54.7	35.2	47.2	$22,878	$3,074	$1,695	$4,769	$15,499	$2,611	$18,110

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.