Summary:
Zip code 29210 in Columbia, SC is served by a single middle school, St. Andrews Middle, which enrolls 627 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Richland 01 school district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that St. Andrews Middle is persistently struggling academically, ranking in the bottom 6% of all South Carolina middle schools (5th percentile, 0 stars for the 2025-2026 school year). Proficiency rates across all subjects are well below both district and state averages. For example, only 13.3% of 6th graders are proficient in math, compared to 30.6% in the district and 40.9% statewide. English Language Arts scores are somewhat better but still low, with 6th-grade ELA proficiency at 32.6% versus 56.3% statewide. The school also has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 40.7%, meaning over two in five students miss significant school days—nearly double the state average of 22.3%. This is likely a major barrier to learning.
On the positive side, the school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.8 and spends a substantial $18,051 per student, indicating strong financial investment. There is also a slight upward trend in math proficiency from the previous year (e.g., 7th-grade math jumped from 5.1% to 16.4%), suggesting some interventions may be starting to help. However, the combination of high spending, small class sizes, and low results points to deep-rooted challenges that go beyond resources. Parents should be aware that while the school offers a supportive environment in terms of staffing, academic outcomes remain a serious concern, particularly in mathematics, and the high absenteeism rate is a red flag that may affect the overall school climate and learning consistency.
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