1
Enrollment
503
Middle
DISTRICT 523 · STATE 622
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 01·NCES 450336001299
W. G. Sanders Middle
3455 Pine Belt Road, Columbia, SC 29204 · (803) 735-7575 · Richland County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL503 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 35% of South Carolina public middle 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
9.3:1
54 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
1
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 | 160 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 173 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 170 | 34% |
Student demographics
42%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
46.1%
SC avg 59.7% . +1.4pp since 2023
Math
23.7%
SC avg 44.2% . -0.9pp 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 24 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 1 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 46.1% | 23.7% |
| 2023-24 | 44.7% | 24.6% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where W. G. Sanders Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 23.7% | #167 of 249 ▼ 15 | #7 of 16 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.1% | #178 of 249 ▼ 35 | #9 of 16 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 503 | #155 of 256 | #10 of 16 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.3:1 | #7 of 241 | #1 of 16 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.8% | #194 of 241 | #9 of 16 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +8.2% | #51 of 81 | N/A |
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
503
-67 (-12%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 602
Student : Teacher
9.3:1
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 | 503 | 54 | 9.3:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 524 | 51.5 | 10.2:1 | 100% (524) |
| 2022-23 | 533 | 47 | 11.3:1 | 100% (533) |
| 2020-21 | 570 | 53 | 10.8:1 | 100% (570) |
| 2017-18 | 465 | 46 | 10.1:1 | 100% (465) |
| 2015-16 | 451 | 41 | 11.0:1 | 100% (451) |
| 2010-11 | 411 | 30 | 13.7:1 | 79% (325) |
| 2000-01 | 547 | 37 | 14.8:1 | 67% (369) |
| 1990-91 | 602 | 40 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for W. G. Sanders Middle.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (465 to 503); teachers up 17% (46 to 54).
About W. G. Sanders Middle
W. G. Sanders Middle operates as a small middle school in Columbia, South Carolina. The school serves 503 students in grades 6 through 8 in 2024-25.
W. G. Sanders Middle falls under Richland 01, which has 47 schools enrolling 21,814 students.
W. G. Sanders Middle's enrollment is 75% Black. The remaining shares are 12% White, 9% Hispanic, and 4% multiracial. Census estimates put the Black share of Richland County's population at about 47%. The chance that two students picked at random at W. G. Sanders Middle belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 42%.
W. G. Sanders Middle operates with 54 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 9.3:1. That ratio is under the 13.8:1 average for middle schools in South Carolina.
Measured against South Carolina public middle schools, W. G. Sanders Middle receives a C+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
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, Bradley Elementary is the closest, at about 0.6 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8.
W. G. Sanders Middle falls in the City: Mid-size locale category, used for schools inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count declined from 570 to 503. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 10.8:1; by 2024-25 it was 9.3:1.
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 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
- Bradley Elementary0.6 mi · 392
- Burton Pack Elementary1.0 mi · 255
- Satchel Ford Elementary1.1 mi · 721
- SC Whitmore School1.3 mi · 431
- Brockman Elementary1.3 mi · 297
- Pendergrass Fairwold School1.4 mi · 46
Frequently asked questions
About W. G. Sanders MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at W. G. Sanders Middle?
W. G. Sanders Middle enrolls approximately 503 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does W. G. Sanders Middle serve?
W. G. Sanders Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at W. G. Sanders Middle?
Approximately 9.3:1 students per teacher at W. G. Sanders Middle.
How diverse is W. G. Sanders Middle?
W. G. Sanders Middle reports a student body of 12% White, 9% Hispanic, 75% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is W. G. Sanders Middle public or private?
W. G. Sanders Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Richland 01.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.