Enrollment
320
Middle
DISTRICT 523 · STATE 622
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 01·NCES 450336000946
W. A. Perry Middle
2600 Barhamville Road, Columbia, SC 29204 · (803) 256-6347 · Richland County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL320 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of South Carolina public middle schools
- DTest 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 113 | 35% |
| Grade 7 | 108 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 99 | 31% |
Student demographics
18%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 52% · 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
39.0%
SC avg 59.7% . +4.7pp since 2023
Math
10.7%
SC avg 44.2% . -1.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 11 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 5 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 1 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 39.0% | 10.7% |
| 2023-24 | 34.3% | 11.7% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where W. A. Perry Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 10.7% | #234 of 249 ▼ 16 | #12 of 16 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #207 of 249 ▼ 2 | #11 of 16 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 320 | #218 of 256 | #14 of 16 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.0:1 | #11 of 241 | #4 of 16 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 18.0% | #240 of 241 | #16 of 16 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.3% | #64 of 137 | #5 of 10 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
320
-10 (-3%) vs 2020
-39% since 1990-91, when it was 528
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
was 8.9:1
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 | 320 | 32 | 10.0:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 310 | 33 | 9.4:1 | 100% (310) |
| 2022-23 | 309 | 34 | 9.1:1 | 100% (309) |
| 2020-21 | 330 | 37 | 8.9:1 | 100% (330) |
| 2017-18 | 369 | 36 | 10.3:1 | 100% (369) |
| 2015-16 | 327 | 35 | 9.3:1 | 100% (327) |
| 2010-11 | 322 | 31 | 10.4:1 | 95% (306) |
| 2000-01 | 447 | 42 | 10.6:1 | 89% (399) |
| 1990-91 | 528 | 36 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for W. A. Perry Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (369 to 320); teachers down 11% (36 to 32).
About W. A. Perry Middle
W. A. Perry Middle is a middle-grades school in Columbia, South Carolina, reachable at (803) 256-6347. There are 320 students enrolled, covering grades 6 through 8. That puts enrollment 49% below the 622-student average for middle schools in South Carolina.
W. A. Perry Middle falls under Richland 01, which has 47 schools enrolling 21,814 students.
A large majority of enrollment at W. A. Perry Middle is Black, at 90%. The school is also 6% multiracial and 3% Hispanic. The Black share of the county population is lower, at 47%. The diversity index for W. A. Perry Middle is 18%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Teacher count: 32 full-time equivalents. Student-to-teacher ratio: 10.0:1. Across middle schools in South Carolina, the average ratio is 13.8:1.
W. A. Perry Middle holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 13% of South Carolina public middle schools.
The school's county is Richland County. According to Census Bureau estimates, the median household earns about $63,784 a year, roughly 41% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Richland County number 104, with about 60,410 students.
W. A. Perry Middle's nearest public school is Watkins-Nance Elementary (about 0.2 miles). There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles.
NCES describes the area around W. A. Perry Middle as City: Mid-size, meaning inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
By 2024-25, enrollment had dropped to 320, from 330 in 2020-21. Its ratio of students to teachers was 8.9:1 in 2020-21, and 10.0:1 in 2024-25.
W. A. Perry Middle has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 01
- A. C. Flora HighHigh · 1,328 students
- Lower Richland HighHigh · 1,218 students
- Dreher HighHigh · 1,144 students
- Crayton MiddleMiddle · 952 students
- Brennen ElementaryElementary · 805 students
- Hand MiddleMiddle · 755 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
- Watkins-Nance Elementary0.2 mi · 499
- C. A. Johnson High0.6 mi · 344
- Carver-Lyon Elementary0.8 mi · 417
- Burton Pack Elementary1.0 mi · 255
- Bradley Elementary1.3 mi · 392
- Arden Elementary1.3 mi · 216
Frequently asked questions
About W. A. Perry MiddleHow many students attend W. A. Perry Middle?
W. A. Perry Middle enrolls approximately 320 students in grades 06-08.
Is W. A. Perry Middle an elementary, middle, or high school?
W. A. Perry Middle is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does W. A. Perry Middle have?
W. A. Perry Middle employs 32 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.0:1.
What is the student diversity at W. A. Perry Middle?
Student demographics at W. A. Perry Middle are roughly 1% White, 3% Hispanic, 90% Black, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees W. A. Perry Middle?
W. A. Perry Middle is overseen by Richland 01 in Richland County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.