Enrollment
499
Elementary
DISTRICT 380 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RICHLAND 01·NCES 450336000638
Watkins-Nance Elementary
2525 Barhamville Road, Columbia, SC 29204 · (803) 733-4321 · Richland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL499 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 2% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- FTest 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
16.6:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
0
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 | 46 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 93 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 67 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 80 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 81 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 65 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 67 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (93) is 39% larger than its 5th grade class (67).
Student demographics
24%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
35.9%
SC avg 59.7% . +7.0pp since 2023
Math
26.0%
SC avg 44.2% . +12.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 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 12 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 35.9% | 26.0% |
| 2023-24 | 28.9% | 13.8% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Watkins-Nance Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Richland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.0% | #579 of 635 ▲ 47 | #50 of 57 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 35.9% | #596 of 635 ▼ 6 | #53 of 57 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 499 | #358 of 709 | #31 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #612 of 656 | #57 of 57 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 24.3% | #622 of 656 | #52 of 57 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +29.6% | #33 of 187 | #2 of 15 |
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
499
+169 (+51%) vs 2020
+19% since 2010-11, when it was 419
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 12.7:1
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 | 499 | 30 | 16.6:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 435 | 30 | 14.5:1 | 100% (435) |
| 2022-23 | 383 | 25 | 15.3:1 | 100% (383) |
| 2020-21 | 330 | 26 | 12.7:1 | 100% (330) |
| 2017-18 | 385 | 31 | 12.4:1 | 100% (385) |
| 2015-16 | 419 | 33 | 12.7:1 | 100% (419) |
| 2010-11 | 419 | 32 | 13.1:1 | 96% (404) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Watkins-Nance Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 30% (385 to 499); teachers down 3% (31 to 30).
About Watkins-Nance Elementary
Watkins-Nance Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina, under Richland 01. Students in pre-K through 5 make up the school's enrollment of 499 students.
Richland 01 has 47 schools; together they serve 21,814 students.
Black students account for 87% of the school's enrollment. It is also 7% multiracial and 4% Hispanic. Richland County's residents are about 47% Black, 39 points below the school's share. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 24, compared with 70 nationally.
A staff of 30 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 16.6:1. The average for elementary schools in South Carolina, 13.3:1, is lower.
On the allk12 Grade, Watkins-Nance Elementary lands at F, ahead of 2% of South Carolina public elementary schools.
The school's county is Richland County. According to Census Bureau estimates, the median household earns about $63,784 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 41% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 12%. Watkins-Nance Elementary shares Richland County with 103 other public schools.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, W. A. Perry Middle, is about 0.2 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Watkins-Nance Elementary is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, a location NCES labels City: Mid-size.
In 2020-21, federal data counted 330 students at Watkins-Nance Elementary; in 2024-25, 499. The grades served may not have been the same in both years. The school's ratio increased from 12.7:1 to 16.6:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. 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
- W. A. Perry Middle0.2 mi · 320
- C. A. Johnson High0.4 mi · 344
- Carver-Lyon Elementary0.7 mi · 417
- Burton Pack Elementary1.2 mi · 255
- Bradley Elementary1.4 mi · 392
- Hyatt Park Elementary1.4 mi · 317
Frequently asked questions
About Watkins-Nance ElementaryHow large is Watkins-Nance Elementary?
Watkins-Nance Elementary enrolls approximately 499 students in grades PK-05.
Is Watkins-Nance Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Watkins-Nance Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Watkins-Nance Elementary have?
Watkins-Nance Elementary employs 30 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.6:1.
How diverse is Watkins-Nance Elementary?
Watkins-Nance Elementary reports a student body of 2% White, 4% Hispanic, 87% Black, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Watkins-Nance Elementary?
Watkins-Nance Elementary is overseen by Richland 01 in Richland County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.