Best High Schools in Zip Code 29223

Zip code 29223 in Columbia, SC is home to 2 high schools serving grades 9-12: Richland Northeast High and School Whitmore School, offering families a choice between a large traditional public school and a smaller public charter school in the same community.

For parents comparing the two, Richland Northeast High is the larger option with 1,340 students and generally stronger outcomes. It boasts a higher graduation rate (78.1% vs. 70.0%), a much lower dropout rate (3.4% vs. 11.1%), and lower chronic absenteeism (28.8% vs. 31.3%). It also has a far more favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.3:1 compared to School Whitmore School's 28.7:1, and spends nearly double per student ($16,712 vs. $8,616). Academically, Richland Northeast excels in Algebra 1 with 65.3% proficiency—now above the state average—and shows a remarkable 22.4-point improvement in that subject over the past year. However, School Whitmore School outperforms in U.S. History (44.9% vs. 39.1%) and English 2 (78.5% vs. 73.2%), despite its lower funding and larger class sizes.

Both schools face significant challenges. English 1 proficiency is alarmingly low at both (39.9% and 38.6%, roughly 20 points below the state average), and chronic absenteeism exceeds the state rate of 22.3% at both schools. Both also rank in the bottom quintile of South Carolina high schools, with Richland Northeast at 198th and Whitmore at 199th out of 245 schools. While Richland 02 ranks 36th of 75 districts, the School Public Charter School District shows a trade-off: Whitmore's cost efficiency correlates with a dropout rate over 5 times the state average. A bright spot is English 2, where both schools show relatively strong proficiency, suggesting students who persist demonstrate better mastery. Ultimately, Richland Northeast offers more resources and better overall outcomes, while Whitmore provides a smaller environment at lower cost but with higher risks.