Enrollment
346
Elementary
DISTRICT 380 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 01·NCES 450336000933
J. P. Thomas Elementary
6001 Weston Avenue, Columbia, SC 29203 · (803) 735-3430 · Richland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL346 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- DTest 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
12.4:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
0
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 | 34 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 42 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 63 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 50 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 57 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (42) is 18% smaller than its 5th grade class (51).
Student demographics
25%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
44.5%
SC avg 59.7% . +11.7pp since 2023
Math
31.7%
SC avg 44.2% . +0.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 45 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 12 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 44.5% | 31.7% |
| 2023-24 | 32.8% | 31.7% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where J. P. Thomas Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.7% | #521 of 635 ▼ 32 | #43 of 57 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.5% | #528 of 635 ▲ 25 | #47 of 57 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 346 | #553 of 709 | #44 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #175 of 656 | #25 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 25.2% | #616 of 656 | #50 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.5% | #227 of 395 | #21 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
346
-14 (-4%) vs 2020
-54% since 1990-91, when it was 760
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 11.3:1
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 | 346 | 28 | 12.4:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 302 | 26 | 11.6:1 | 100% (302) |
| 2022-23 | 323 | 30 | 10.8:1 | 100% (323) |
| 2020-21 | 360 | 32 | 11.3:1 | 100% (360) |
| 2017-18 | 391 | 35 | 11.2:1 | 100% (391) |
| 2015-16 | 442 | 38 | 11.6:1 | 100% (442) |
| 2010-11 | 436 | 34 | 12.8:1 | 94% (408) |
| 2000-01 | 652 | 45 | 14.5:1 | 86% (558) |
| 1990-91 | 760 | 42 | 18.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for J. P. Thomas Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (391 to 346); teachers down 20% (35 to 28).
About J. P. Thomas Elementary
In Columbia, South Carolina, J. P. Thomas Elementary is a small elementary school. It enrolls 346 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are pre-K through 5. The school is 34% below the average for elementary schools in South Carolina.
Within Richland 01, J. P. Thomas Elementary is one of 47 schools. The district enrolls 21,814 students.
Black students are 86% of those enrolled at J. P. Thomas Elementary. Beyond that, enrollment is 6% multiracial, 4% White, and 3% Hispanic. In Richland County overall, about 47% of residents are Black. A diversity index of 25% means there is a 25% chance two randomly chosen students at J. P. Thomas Elementary are from different groups.
J. P. Thomas Elementary has a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.4:1, with 28 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in South Carolina is 13.3:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher.
J. P. Thomas Elementary earns a D on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 13% of South Carolina public elementary schools.
Five-year Census Bureau estimates for Richland County show that the median household earns about $63,784 a year, about 41% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 12% of residents are in poverty. Richland County has 104 public schools with about 60,410 students, including J. P. Thomas Elementary.
J. P. Thomas Elementary's closest public school neighbor is Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy, about 0.4 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools.
The school's federal locale classification is Suburb: Large.
Over 4 years, enrollment fell by 14 students, from 360 to 346. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio increased from 11.3:1 to 12.4:1.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at J. P. Thomas Elementary. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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
Nearby schools
- Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence Academy0.4 mi · 216
- Alcorn Middle0.8 mi · 381
- Arden Elementary0.9 mi · 216
- Pendergrass Fairwold School1.1 mi · 46
- SC Whitmore School1.4 mi · 431
- Burton Pack Elementary1.4 mi · 255
Frequently asked questions
About J. P. Thomas ElementaryHow large is J. P. Thomas Elementary?
J. P. Thomas Elementary enrolls approximately 346 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does J. P. Thomas Elementary serve?
J. P. Thomas Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at J. P. Thomas Elementary?
Approximately 12.4:1 students per teacher at J. P. Thomas Elementary.
How diverse is J. P. Thomas Elementary?
J. P. Thomas Elementary reports a student body of 4% White, 3% Hispanic, 86% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees J. P. Thomas Elementary?
J. P. Thomas 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.