1
What tradition at Polo Road Elementary should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
665
Elementary
DISTRICT 697 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 02·NCES 450339001076
Polo Road Elementary
1250 Polo Road, Columbia, SC 29223 · (803) 419-2226 · Richland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL665 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 20% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- C-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
13.2:1
50 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 | 55 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 106 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 99 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 108 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 94 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 100 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 103 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (106) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (103).
Student demographics
62%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
46.0%
SC avg 59.7% . +6.6pp since 2023
Math
35.9%
SC avg 44.2% . +6.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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 6 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 46.0% | 35.9% |
| 2023-24 | 39.4% | 29.8% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Polo Road Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.9% | #475 of 635 ▲ 37 | #37 of 57 ▲ 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.0% | #512 of 635 ▼ 19 | #42 of 57 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 665 | #180 of 709 | #13 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.2:1 | #291 of 656 | #35 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.5% | #248 of 656 | #10 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.9% | #350 of 395 | #40 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
665
+70 (+12%) vs 2020
-14% since 2010-11, when it was 773
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
was 10.8:1
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 | 665 | 50.3 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 659 | 58 | 11.4:1 | 70% (460) |
| 2022-23 | 604 | 52.2 | 11.6:1 | 79% (479) |
| 2020-21 | 595 | 55 | 10.8:1 | 65% (385) |
| 2017-18 | 685 | 57.3 | 11.9:1 | 62% (422) |
| 2015-16 | 662 | 51 | 13.0:1 | 62% (413) |
| 2010-11 | 773 | 50 | 15.5:1 | 37% (287) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Polo Road Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (685 to 665); teachers down 12% (57.3 to 50.3).
About Polo Road Elementary
Polo Road Elementary, located in Columbia, South Carolina, is a medium-sized elementary school. It serves 665 students in pre-K through 5. The average among elementary schools in South Carolina is roughly 526 students; this school is 26% above that.
The Richland 02 system has 32 schools and 28,841 students.
A majority of students at Polo Road Elementary, 52%, are Black. Next come 33% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 6% White, and 2% Asian. The chance that two students picked at random at Polo Road Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 62%.
Polo Road Elementary's 50.3 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 13.2:1. Elementary schools in South Carolina have a similar average ratio of 13.3:1.
Polo Road Elementary is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 20% of South Carolina public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
According to the American Community Survey, in Richland County, median household income is about $63,784, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 41%, and about 12% of people live in poverty. A total of 104 public schools operate in Richland County, serving about 60,410 students.
Of nearby public schools, E. L. Wright Middle is the closest, at about 1.1 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools.
NCES assigns Polo Road Elementary the locale Suburb: Large, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count climbed from 595 to 665. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 10.8:1; by 2024-25 it was 13.2:1.
Posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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
- E. L. Wright Middle1.1 mi · 1,275
- Windsor Elementary1.2 mi · 579
- L. W. Conder Elementary1.4 mi · 489
- Richland Northeast High2.0 mi · 1,340
- Jackson Creek Elementary2.3 mi · 551
- Joseph Keels Elementary2.6 mi · 465
Frequently asked questions
About Polo Road ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Polo Road Elementary?
Polo Road Elementary enrolls approximately 665 students in grades PK-05.
Is Polo Road Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Polo Road Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Polo Road Elementary have?
Polo Road Elementary employs 50 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.2:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Polo Road Elementary?
At Polo Road Elementary, the student body is approximately 6% White, 33% Hispanic, 52% Black, 2% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Polo Road Elementary?
Polo Road 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.