Sandlapper Elementary

Sandlapper Elementary is a primary school of middle-of-the-pack scale in Columbia, South Carolina, overseen by Richland 02, caters to 671 students in grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 28% above the typical public school in South Carolina, which averages around 526 students.

Richland 02 comprises 32 schools with combined enrollment of 28,841 students; Sandlapper Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Sandlapper Elementary records that Black students make up the majority at 77%. Other groups include 8% Hispanic, 7% White, 5% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Richland County as a whole is about 47% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.2:1. The state averages about 13.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Richland County shows median household income runs about $63,784, 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 12%. In all, Richland County runs 104 public schools (combined enrollment of about 60,410 students), of which Sandlapper Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Rice Creek Elementary, roughly 1.1 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Sandlapper Elementary.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sandlapper Elementary has grew 3%, going from 650 students in 2018 to 671 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 11% to 7%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 13.2:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the Sandlapper Elementary community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.