Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Richland 02

This page covers 23 elementary schools in Richland 02. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

23
Schools Ranked
South Carolina
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 23
1
rank
Bookman Road Elementary
Grades PK–05499 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.9:1) · above-average investment ($18,376/student)
61
/100
Student:Teacher
11.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
62%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Forest Lake Elementary
Grades PK–05614 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.5:1) · above-average investment ($18,376/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
12.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
70%
High economic need
3
rank
Catawba Trail Elementary
Grades PK–05591 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,376/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
14.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
59%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Pontiac Elementary
Grades PK–05724 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,376/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
13.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
68%
High economic need
5
rank
Bridge Creek Elementary
Grades PK–05558 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1) · above-average investment ($18,376/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
80%
High economic need
6
rank
Rice Creek Elementary
Grades PK–05737 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,376/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
13.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
76%
High economic need
7
rank
Sandlapper Elementary
Grades PK–05656 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,376/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
13.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
71%
High economic need
8
rank
Polo Road Elementary
Grades PK–05604 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.6:1) · above-average investment ($18,376/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
11.6:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
79%
High economic need
9
rank
Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus
Grades 03–05535 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,376/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
14.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
43%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Lake Carolina Elementary Lower Campus
Grades PK–02494 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,376/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
14.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
35/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,376
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
49%
Near nat'l 52.2%
13 more elementary schools in Richland 02 not shown here.
View all schools in Richland 02
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
23
Elementary Schools
32
Total Schools
61
#1 Score
51
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Richland 02 with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.