Forest Lake Elementary

Forest Lake Elementary is an elementary campus of mid-sized scale in Columbia, South Carolina, overseen by Richland 02, caters to 652 students in grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 24% above the typical public school in South Carolina, which averages around 526 students.

Across the 32 schools in Richland 02 (28,841 students total), Forest Lake Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Forest Lake Elementary logs that 56% of the student body identifies as Black. Beyond that, the school shows 18% Hispanic, 17% White, 6% multiracial, 3% Asian. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 47%.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Forest Lake Elementary has 49 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.2:1. The state averages about 13.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers.

Across the wider county, Richland County reports that median household income runs about $63,784, roughly 41% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Richland County runs 104 public schools (combined enrollment of about 60,410 students), of which Forest Lake Elementary is one.

Dent Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.8 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 8%: 601 students in 2018 compared to 652 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment edged up from 9% to 18% over that span.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.