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What's one thing Hand Middle gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
755
Middle
DISTRICT 523 · STATE 622
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 01·NCES 450336001300
Hand Middle
2600 Wheat Street, Columbia, SC 29205 · (803) 343-2947 · Richland County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL755 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 52% of South Carolina public middle schools
- B-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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
61 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 239 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 277 | 37% |
| Grade 8 | 239 | 32% |
Student demographics
63%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
56.4%
SC avg 59.7% . +4.9pp since 2023
Math
32.4%
SC avg 44.2% . +1.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 56 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 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 56.4% | 32.4% |
| 2023-24 | 51.5% | 31.0% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Hand Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.4% | #115 of 249 ▲ 3 | #4 of 16 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.4% | #105 of 249 ▼ 4 | #5 of 16 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 755 | #91 of 256 | #8 of 16 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #58 of 241 | #8 of 16 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.6% | #90 of 241 | #4 of 16 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.1% | #78 of 137 | #6 of 10 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
755
+15 (+2%) vs 2020
-13% since 1990-91, when it was 872
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 12.1:1
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 | 755 | 61 | 12.4:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 700 | 59 | 11.9:1 | 100% (700) |
| 2022-23 | 652 | 57 | 11.4:1 | 100% (652) |
| 2020-21 | 740 | 61 | 12.1:1 | 100% (740) |
| 2017-18 | 849 | 64 | 13.3:1 | 100% (849) |
| 2015-16 | 903 | 61 | 14.8:1 | 100% (903) |
| 2010-11 | 863 | 53 | 16.3:1 | 48% (414) |
| 2000-01 | 1,246 | 65 | 19.2:1 | 37% (460) |
| 1990-91 | 872 | 59 | 14.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hand Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (849 to 755); teachers down 5% (64 to 61).
About Hand Middle
Hand Middle is a public middle school in Columbia, South Carolina. The school's 755 students are in grades 6 through 8. Enrollment is 21% higher than the average for middle schools in South Carolina, which is about 622.
Hand Middle is in Richland 01, a district with 21,814 students across 47 schools.
At 51%, Black students outnumber all other groups at Hand Middle combined. Smaller groups are 31% White, 11% Hispanic, and 6% multiracial. The county population is about 47% Black, within a few points of the school. By the diversity index, Hand Middle comes in at 63%.
Teachers at Hand Middle total 61 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 12.4:1. The 13.8:1 average for middle schools in South Carolina is higher than this school's figure.
The allk12 Grade for Hand Middle is B-. Compared with South Carolina public middle schools, the school scored higher than 52% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Federal survey data for Richland County show that median household income is about $63,784, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 41% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 12%. A total of 104 public schools operate in Richland County, serving about 60,410 students.
A. C. Moore Elementary is located about 0.6 miles from Hand Middle. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8.
Hand Middle is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, a location NCES labels City: Mid-size.
Over 4 years, enrollment stayed close to where it was, going from 740 to 755.
If you have questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at Hand Middle, you can post them here. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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
- Satchel Ford ElementaryElementary · 721 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
Nearby schools
- A. C. Moore Elementary0.6 mi · 244
- Dreher High0.8 mi · 1,144
- Rosewood Elementary0.8 mi · 338
- Richland One Charter Middle College1.6 mi · 106
- South Kilbourne Elementary1.8 mi · 234
- Brennen Elementary1.8 mi · 805
Frequently asked questions
About Hand MiddleHow many students attend Hand Middle?
Hand Middle enrolls approximately 755 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Hand Middle serve?
Hand Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Hand Middle?
Approximately 12.4:1 students per teacher at Hand Middle.
What is the student diversity at Hand Middle?
Student demographics at Hand Middle are roughly 31% White, 11% Hispanic, 51% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Hand Middle?
Hand Middle is overseen by Richland 01 in Richland County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.