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What's one thing Forest Heights Elementary gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
435
Elementary
DISTRICT 380 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 01·NCES 450336000649
Forest Heights Elementary
2500 Blue Ridge Terrace, Columbia, SC 29203 · (803) 691-3780 · Richland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL435 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 20% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded South Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 39 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 70 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 72 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 53 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 77 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 63 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (70) is 11% larger than its 5th grade class (63).
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 67% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
SC READY 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
46.4%
SC avg 59.7% . +9.6pp since 2023
Math
32.3%
SC avg 44.2% . -3.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Carolina schools, those numbers are about 60 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 10 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 46.4% | 32.3% |
| 2023-24 | 36.8% | 35.3% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Forest Heights Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.3% | #511 of 635 ▼ 56 | #40 of 57 ▼ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.4% | #506 of 635 ▲ 16 | #39 of 57 ▲ 5 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 435 | #429 of 709 | #37 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.1:1 | #149 of 656 | #21 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.2% | #495 of 656 | #38 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -20.6% | #106 of 395 | #11 of 42 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
435
+36 (+9%) vs 2020
-7% since 2010-11, when it was 469
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
was 10.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 435 | 36 | 12.1:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 433 | 36.5 | 11.9:1 | 100% (433) |
| 2022-23 | 441 | 33 | 13.4:1 | 100% (441) |
| 2020-21 | 399 | 38 | 10.5:1 | 100% (399) |
| 2017-18 | 548 | 41 | 13.4:1 | 100% (548) |
| 2015-16 | 557 | 41 | 13.6:1 | 100% (557) |
| 2010-11 | 469 | 30 | 15.6:1 | 70% (329) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Forest Heights Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 21% (548 to 435); teachers down 12% (41 to 36).
About Forest Heights Elementary
Located in Columbia, South Carolina, Forest Heights Elementary is a small elementary school. The school's 435 students are in pre-K through 5.
Forest Heights Elementary is one school in a 47-school district, Richland 01, which enrolls 21,814 students.
By race and ethnicity, Forest Heights Elementary is 72% Black. The rest of enrollment is 18% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 4% White. Census estimates put the Black share of Richland County's population at about 47%. Forest Heights Elementary has a diversity index of 44%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Forest Heights Elementary counts 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 12.1 students for each one. Among elementary schools in South Carolina, the typical ratio is 13.3:1.
allk12 grades Forest Heights Elementary a C-. The grade compares the school only with South Carolina public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Across Richland County, median household income is about $63,784, about 41% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 12%. Forest Heights Elementary is among the 104 public schools in Richland County.
Of nearby public schools, Carolina School for Inquiry is the closest, at about 1.4 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8.
Forest Heights Elementary has an NCES locale of Rural: Fringe.
The number of students climbed from 399 to 435 over 4 years. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 10.5:1 to 12.1:1.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Richland County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
422,117
Census ACS
Median income
$63,784
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
41%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
104
60,410 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Richland 01
- A. C. Flora HighHigh · 1,328 students
- Lower Richland HighHigh · 1,218 students
- Dreher HighHigh · 1,144 students
- Crayton MiddleMiddle · 952 students
- Brennen ElementaryElementary · 805 students
- Hand MiddleMiddle · 755 students
Other schools in Columbia
- SC Connections AcademyCombined · 6,152 students
- Spring Valley HighHigh · 2,230 students
- Carolus Online AcademyCombined · 1,786 students
- Ridge View HighHigh · 1,631 students
- Richland Northeast HighHigh · 1,340 students
- A. C. Flora HighHigh · 1,328 students
Other Forest Heights Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Forest Heights Elementary. Forest Heights Elementary is the largest of the 3.
- FOREST HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHARRISON, AR · 375 students
- Forest Heights ElementaryOxon Hill, MD · 215 students
Nearby schools
- Carolina School for Inquiry1.4 mi · 114
- J. P. Thomas Elementary2.9 mi · 346
- Broad River High3.0 mi · 28
- Kirkland High3.0 mi · 42
- Alcorn Middle3.0 mi · 381
- Eau Claire High3.2 mi · 542
Frequently asked questions
About Forest Heights ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Forest Heights Elementary?
Forest Heights Elementary enrolls approximately 435 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Forest Heights Elementary serve?
Forest Heights Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Heights Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Forest Heights Elementary is approximately 12.1:1 (36 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Forest Heights Elementary?
Student demographics at Forest Heights Elementary are roughly 4% White, 18% Hispanic, 72% Black, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Forest Heights Elementary?
Forest Heights Elementary is overseen by Richland 01 in Richland County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.