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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at L. B. Nelson Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
541
Elementary
DISTRICT 697 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 02·NCES 450339000971
L. B. Nelson Elementary
225 North Brickyard Road, Columbia, SC 29223 · (803) 736-8730 · Richland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL541 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% of South Carolina public elementary 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
44 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 | 54 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 87 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 76 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 88 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (87) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (88).
Student demographics
48%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
57.8%
SC avg 59.7% . +7.2pp since 2023
Math
49.8%
SC avg 44.2% . +2.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 50 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 7 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 57.8% | 49.8% |
| 2023-24 | 50.6% | 47.0% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where L. B. Nelson Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 49.8% | #312 of 635 ▲ 11 | #21 of 57 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.8% | #352 of 635 ▼ 14 | #24 of 57 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 541 | #307 of 709 | #25 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.2:1 | #158 of 656 | #23 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.0% | #463 of 656 | #34 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.0% | #273 of 395 | #27 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
541
-15 (-3%) vs 2020
-37% since 1990-91, when it was 855
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
was 12.9:1
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 | 541 | 44.3 | 12.2:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 553 | 44.9 | 12.3:1 | 65% (360) |
| 2022-23 | 567 | 43.5 | 13.0:1 | 76% (431) |
| 2020-21 | 556 | 43 | 12.9:1 | 63% (353) |
| 2017-18 | 588 | 43.7 | 13.5:1 | 52% (304) |
| 2015-16 | 579 | 41 | 14.1:1 | 53% (308) |
| 2010-11 | 524 | 36 | 14.6:1 | 48% (249) |
| 2000-01 | 659 | 44 | 15.0:1 | 29% (190) |
| 1990-91 | 855 | 46 | 18.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for L. B. Nelson Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (588 to 541); teachers up 1% (43.7 to 44.3).
About L. B. Nelson Elementary
L. B. Nelson Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in South Carolina, located in Columbia. In all, 541 students attend the school in pre-K through 5.
Richland 02, which runs L. B. Nelson Elementary, has 32 schools and 28,841 students.
The largest group at L. B. Nelson Elementary is Black students, at 70%. Enrollment also includes 10% White, 10% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 2% Asian. Among people living in Richland County, the Black share is about 47%. The diversity index for L. B. Nelson Elementary is 48%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
L. B. Nelson Elementary reported 44.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 12.2:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in South Carolina is 13.3:1.
L. B. Nelson Elementary holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 49% 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 the poverty rate is about 12%. Across Richland County, 104 public schools serve about 60,410 students.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Spring Valley High, is about 0.9 miles. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8.
Federal data place L. B. Nelson Elementary in the Suburb: Large locale, which means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Since 2020-21, enrollment has fallen 3%, from 556 to 541.
The allk12 page for L. B. Nelson Elementary lets the school community talk about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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
- Spring Valley High0.9 mi · 2,230
- Windsor Elementary2.1 mi · 579
- North Springs Elementary2.1 mi · 659
- Summit Parkway Middle2.3 mi · 1,229
- Killian Elementary2.5 mi · 699
- E. L. Wright Middle2.6 mi · 1,275
Frequently asked questions
About L. B. Nelson ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at L. B. Nelson Elementary?
L. B. Nelson Elementary enrolls approximately 541 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does L. B. Nelson Elementary serve?
L. B. Nelson Elementary serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at L. B. Nelson Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at L. B. Nelson Elementary is approximately 12.2:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at L. B. Nelson Elementary?
At L. B. Nelson Elementary, the student body is approximately 10% White, 10% Hispanic, 70% Black, 2% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is L. B. Nelson Elementary public or private?
L. B. Nelson Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Richland 02.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.