Sandel Elementary

Sandel Elementary is one of the middle-of-the-pack elementary schools in Columbia, South Carolina, part of Richland 01, with 479 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5.

Richland 01 comprises 47 schools with combined enrollment of 21,814 students; Sandel Elementary is among them.

Demographically, Sandel Elementary logs that 78% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest comes out to 12% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 4% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 47% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Sandel Elementary lists 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. The state averages about 13.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers.

In the broader community, census data for Richland County shows median household earnings sit near $63,784, 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Richland County's 104 public schools (combined enrollment of about 60,410 students), Sandel Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Columbia High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sandel Elementary has declined 23%, going from 624 students in 2018 to 479 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 7% to 12% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.