Best Public Schools in Zip Code 29209

Summary:

The 29209 zip code area in South Carolina is home to 4 elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. While the schools share some common challenges, such as high poverty rates and below-average test scores, Annie Burnside Elementary stands out as the top-performing school in the area.

Annie Burnside Elementary earns a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, the highest of the 4 schools, and ranks 273rd out of 640 elementary schools in South Carolina. The school boasts the strongest academic performance, with the highest proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics across grades 3-5 compared to the other schools and the Richland 01 district and state averages. Additionally, Annie Burnside's 4th-grade science proficiency rate of 68% significantly outpaces the district (40.7%) and state (49.1%) averages.

In contrast, the other 3 schools in the 29209 zip code area - Caughman Road Elementary, Meadowfield Elementary, and Mill Creek Elementary - generally struggle academically, with test scores below district and state averages. However, all 4 schools share a high-poverty student population, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Addressing the unique challenges faced by these students and implementing strategies proven successful at Annie Burnside Elementary could help improve outcomes across the 29209 zip code area.

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)	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 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
Annie Burnside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7300 Patterson Road	Columbia	29209	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 783-5530	306	22	13.9		12 (3.9%)	234 (76.5%)	21 (6.9%)	9 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	28 (9.2%)	55.3	273^rd of 640 public elementary schools	57.3%		31.5	435^th of 638 public elementary schools	31.8%	162	59.5	76.6	61.5	45.2	46.8	40.4	68.0	$21,729	$2,670	$1,285	$3,955	$15,150	$2,623	$17,773
Mill Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	925 Universal Drive	Columbia	29209	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	Yes	(803) 783-5553	353	23	15.3		10 (2.8%)	319 (90.4%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	11.5	587^th of 640 public elementary schools	8.3%		26.3	472^nd of 638 public elementary schools	26.0%	115	40.4	34.1	49.1	28.1	23.4	25.5	21.3	$20,636	$1,533	$1,784	$3,317	$14,355	$2,964	$17,319
Caughman Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7725 Caughman Road	Columbia	29209	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 783-5534	715	53	13.4		75 (10.5%)	466 (65.2%)	91 (12.7%)	17 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	61 (8.5%)	21.5	519^th of 640 public elementary schools	18.9%		19	531^st of 638 public elementary schools	16.8%	12	54.2	51.9	44.9	54.1	24.8	19.8	19.1	$18,150	$1,820	$1,179	$3,000	$12,765	$2,385	$15,150
Meadowfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	525 Galway Lane	Columbia	29209	Richland County	Richland 01	No	No	No	No	(803) 738-5549	615	42	14.6		120 (19.5%)	361 (58.7%)	73 (11.9%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.1%)	37.2	398^th of 640 public elementary schools	37.8%		23.8	492^nd of 638 public elementary schools	22.9%	94	62.5	49.5	60.9	51.9	39.1	34.1	34.5	$18,615	$1,846	$1,229	$3,076	$13,091	$2,448	$15,540

Cities Near Zip Code 29209

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Columbia	0.22 mi	82	150^th
Hopkins	3.85 mi	5	176^th
Cayce	6.65 mi	3	189^th
West Columbia	6.7 mi	17	102^nd
Swansea	10.77 mi	6	163^rd

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.