Richland 1 vs. Richland 2 (Columbia, Lexington: transporting, high schools, university)

[ebsinwsc]

Hello!
My husband and I are moving our family to Columbia in the coming months and are trying to determine which school system we are interested it. He will be at the University and proximity to USC is a big thing for us since we try to maintain only one vehicle and do a lot of biking/walking. That said, we have been mostly considering certain schools in Richland 1 (namely the feeder schools for Dreher and AC Flora high schools), and the Richland 2 (forest acres area). From the info I've been able to gather so far - I've heard that those particular schools in R1 are great, but the rest of the district - not so much. The R2 district seems to have a good reputation but many things are left to chance in terms of getting into magnet programs and also requires transporting your children all over. Have any parents out there been faced with this same decision? I'd love to hear why you made your particular choice, or any info or endorsement someone might have about some of these schools. Thanks so much.

[waccamatt]

I would agree with your statement about the schools. There are other schools with good reputations in Richland 1, such as Logan Elementary, but the overall reputation of Richland 2's schools is better. Most Richland 1 schools are inner city and Richland 2's are suburban. I grew up going to inner city schools in Richland 1 and I'm glad that I did. Sometimes there is more to education than average test scores.

[sonofaque86]

I grew up in Richland 1 schools (middle and high school). I went to Lexington/Richland 5 for Elementary. I had a great education. There may be some schools that don't have a good reputation but the Dreher and AC Flora area has a pretty good rep though.

[sandlapper]

Product of Richland District 1 here! My sister is a Richland/Lexinton District 5, psycho ex-girlfriend product of Richland District 2 so you know what I'm gonna say already.

All districts are fine you just have fewer options in RD1. Dreher, & AC Flora are gonna be your best options in RD1 especially if you want to live in close proximety to USC.