1
What tradition at Joseph Keels Elementary should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
465
Elementary
DISTRICT 697 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 02·NCES 450339000970
Joseph Keels Elementary
7500 Springcrest Drive, Columbia, SC 29223 · (803) 736-8754 · Richland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL465 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 29% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- CTest 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
10.9:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.0:1 · 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 | 43 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 62 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 77 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 77 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 67 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (62) is 7% smaller than its 5th grade class (67).
Student demographics
28%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · 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
50.0%
SC avg 59.7% . +8.5pp since 2023
Math
41.3%
SC avg 44.2% . +4.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 50.0% | 41.3% |
| 2023-24 | 41.5% | 37.3% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Joseph Keels Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.3% | #416 of 635 ▲ 6 | #32 of 57 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.0% | #456 of 635 ▲ 10 | #35 of 57 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 465 | #397 of 709 | #35 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.9:1 | #64 of 656 | #10 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.3% | #596 of 656 | #49 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.3% | #170 of 395 | #13 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
465
+29 (+7%) vs 2020
-15% since 1990-91, when it was 547
Student : Teacher
10.9:1
was 10.4:1
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 | 465 | 42.5 | 10.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 478 | 43.3 | 11.0:1 | 100% (478) |
| 2022-23 | 438 | 40.4 | 10.8:1 | 100% (438) |
| 2020-21 | 436 | 42 | 10.4:1 | 100% (436) |
| 2017-18 | 549 | 45 | 12.2:1 | 100% (549) |
| 2015-16 | 680 | 50 | 13.6:1 | 82% (559) |
| 2010-11 | 663 | 45 | 14.7:1 | 82% (541) |
| 2000-01 | 728 | 53 | 13.7:1 | 68% (494) |
| 1990-91 | 547 | 31 | 17.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Joseph Keels Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (549 to 465); teachers down 6% (45 to 42.5).
About Joseph Keels Elementary
Located in Columbia, South Carolina, Joseph Keels Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school. The school had 465 students in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25.
Richland 02 has 28,841 students spread across 32 schools.
About 83% of the student body at Joseph Keels Elementary is Black. The rest of enrollment is 9% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. Census estimates put the Black share of Richland County's population at about 47%. The school's diversity index is 28%, meaning two students picked at random have a 28% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school reports 42.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 10.9 students per teacher. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 13.3:1 average for elementary schools in South Carolina.
Joseph Keels Elementary is graded C by allk12, scoring above 29% of South Carolina public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Census Bureau estimates for Richland County show that the median household income is $63,784, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 41% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 12%. There are 104 public schools in Richland County, enrolling about 60,410 students in all.
Jackson Creek Elementary is the public school closest to Joseph Keels Elementary, about 0.9 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
Joseph Keels Elementary has an NCES locale of Suburb: Large.
Enrollment grew 7% from its 2020-21 level of 436.
Questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome 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 02
- Spring Valley HighHigh · 2,230 students
- Blythewood HighHigh · 2,164 students
- Westwood HighHigh · 1,743 students
- Ridge View HighHigh · 1,631 students
- Richland Northeast HighHigh · 1,340 students
- E. L. Wright MiddleElementary · 1,275 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
- Jackson Creek Elementary0.9 mi · 551
- Dent Middle1.0 mi · 1,059
- L. W. Conder Elementary1.8 mi · 489
- Forest Lake Elementary1.8 mi · 652
- Richland Northeast High1.8 mi · 1,340
- E. L. Wright Middle1.8 mi · 1,275
Frequently asked questions
About Joseph Keels ElementaryHow many students attend Joseph Keels Elementary?
Joseph Keels Elementary enrolls approximately 465 students in grades PK-05.
Is Joseph Keels Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Joseph Keels Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Joseph Keels Elementary?
Approximately 10.9:1 students per teacher at Joseph Keels Elementary.
How diverse is Joseph Keels Elementary?
Joseph Keels Elementary reports a student body of 2% White, 9% Hispanic, 83% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Joseph Keels Elementary?
Joseph Keels Elementary is overseen by Richland 02 in Richland County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.