Cola school districts... (Columbia, Greenville, Sumter: house, neighborhoods, taxes)

[Ceezer]

I know the information is contained here, because I've seen it posted time and time again, but I'm having a hard time finding what I'm looking for and am getting frustrated.

If it's not too much to ask, could someone list all the public schools around Columbia and maybe rank them on a 1-10 scale? The only one I'm familiar with based on reputation is (s)Lower Richland.

I've been commuting from Sumter to Columbia for nearly 2 years now and have been working to get the house ready to put on the market so we could move up there and be closer, but now I'm wondering if that would be the most cost efficient option. It could cost me much more to get in an area that would allow me to provide my daughter an equal or better education, and might not even be that much of a time savings if I'm fighting stoplights/traffic all the way.

So I'm wanting to see where the better schools are located and look at housing costs in those area for a cost analysis.

I really would appreciate it.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by Ceezer

I know the information is contained here, because I've seen it posted time and time again, but I'm having a hard time finding what I'm looking for and am getting frustrated.

If it's not too much to ask, could someone list all the public schools around Columbia and maybe rank them on a 1-10 scale? The only one I'm familiar with based on reputation is (s)Lower Richland.

I've been commuting from Sumter to Columbia for nearly 2 years now and have been working to get the house ready to put on the market so we could move up there and be closer, but now I'm wondering if that would be the most cost efficient option. It could cost me much more to get in an area that would allow me to provide my daughter an equal or better education, and might not even be that much of a time savings if I'm fighting stoplights/traffic all the way.

So I'm wanting to see where the better schools are located and look at housing costs in those area for a cost analysis.

I really would appreciate it.

Where are you commuting to? Is your interest to remain in relatively accessible proximity to Sumter? The reason why I asked is if you want to live on the "Sumter side" of Columbia i.e Southeast Columbia.. that would be in the Garners Ferry and Leesburg Rd corridors. A commute from here .to downtown Columbia is very reasonable as are housing prices. You can go to the NE or West Columbia/Lexington County as well via I-77. You are also a very easy ride back to Sumter.. assuming you have family, friends, etc that may warrant your need to get back there. The other opportunity that you have in southeast is you can choose from three highschools. In addition to Lower Richland you can choose from Dreher.. if you settle in the vacinity behind the VA hospital or more generally the eastern side of Gardners Ferry Rd from around the VA hospital out to Pineview Rd. AC Flora Zone begins generally on the westside of Gardners Ferry/ Leesburg Rd closest in to the City and then proceeds NE around Beltline while hugging Ft. Jackson and most of Forest Acres. Of course check with District 1 for more accurate boundary. I have heard that Dreher and Flora are the #1 and #2 schools in the District.. that being said I am not sure what the rankings of the remaining schools are in decending order, but a search of the Dept. of Ed website should be able to provide more info.......

[jlboney]

Here are contact numbers and websites for Richland and Lexington County Shcool districts. This will allow you to do some research on the schools and where they are located. I am afraid since I do not have children, I really can not rank the schools for you. In town housing prices are typically a little higher over all depending on where you live. Prices are more affordable in the out lying areas such as Northeast, Southeast, and so on.


Richland 1- 830-231-7000 this is the number for information. The school board office is 803-231-7556.
richlandone.org

Richland 2- The number for student services is 803.738.3228. Richland2.org

Lexington 1- (803)-821-1000 Lexington1.net

Lexington 2- 803-796-4708 Lexington 2

Lexington 3- 803-532-4423 Lexington 3

Lexington 4 (803) 568-1000 Lexinton 4

Lexington-Richland 5 803-476-8000 Lexington-Richland 5

[swampwolf]

Dreher is probably our best high school. Flora only looks better than the others. Same problem with gangs and drugs as the other schools. Same problem at Dreher for that matter, but somehow they are easier to avoid there.

Putting a child into Lower Richland high school is child abuse, as would be CA Johnson or Eau Claire (which the residents and the district think is an Irish name). Columbia High School has, or did have, an excellent tech/vocational department. And the vocational center is generally good. But for academics the choices are few.

This is going to be true for nearly all school districts in SC, with the exceptions being Horry County and Greenville County. If you've got kids and want to live here in SC, I'd go to one of them.

[waccamatt]

Swamp, there are plenty of good schools in the Columbia area - Dreher, AC Flora and most of the schools in Richland District 2, Richland/Lex 5 and Lexington District 1. Where in the world do you get that people think Eau Claire is an Irish name? Because their mascot is the "Shamrocks"? Spring Valley is the Vikings and I've never seen any Vikings in NE Richland County. To the OP, I wouldn't hesitate to put a child in any of the above school districts.

[swampwolf]

Yes, because their mascot is "the Shamrocks". That and hearing more than once administrators speak about coming to Eau Claire: "They need to change that name, I ain't Irish."

And yes, some schools are better than others. If only you could hear the private opinions of teachers (not hand-picked ones) in those schools. They are the front lines of education. What others see and say cannot be as relevant.

When I was in high school (a few decades ago) in a smaller town in SC I had a few teachers that came to school drunk every day. The students generally loved them and would protect them from administrators and parents. They gave good grades so nobody would complain about them. If you haven't been in a school there is no way you can understand some of the dynamics.

We have no monopoly on these conditions, that's for sure, you betcha.

[Ceezer]

Thanks for the responses, folks. For what it's worth, my daughter is only 8 so it would be elementary schools I'm looking at. Hopefully, with plenty of prodding and encouragement, she'll be attending High School in Bishopville (Gov's for Math & Science) and that won't be a concern.

Originally Posted by Woodlands

The reason why I asked is if you want to live on the "Sumter side" of Columbia i.e Southeast Columbia.

If I had a preference, it would probably actually be on the North side of Cola because I have friends & family in Charlotte - none in Sumter, or even friends for that matter. But location isn't *quite* as important as I'd base that off the overlay of each school's district. For what it's worth, I work downtown on Gervais now (if I were still at the BCBS Tower this would be easier, as I'd probably head straight for Pontiac).

Originally Posted by Waccamatt

Where in the world do you get that people think Eau Claire is an Irish name? Because their mascot is the "Shamrocks"?

That reminds me of a bar in Sumter that burned down a few years ago. It was called something like "Le Tracy's", but had a shamrock on the sign... You know, for all the French Paddys in the area...

[OconeeMountains]

If you want to stay in the downtown area and live in an affordable, family oriented neighborhood I would suggest Rosewood. This neighborhood is up and coming, only 10 minutes from downtown and feeds into Rosewood Elementary, Hand Middle and Dreher High (Three of the best Richland 1 schools). I lived in the neighborhood for 4 years and can say I really appreciate how close it is to everything (good grocery stores, restaurants etc.) and the quality of education the kids recieve at the schools mentioned above. It is also close enough to I-77 to be in Charlotte in no time. Hope you find a good match for your family. Blessings -

[Ceezer]

What about Cayce? What schools are they part of? And is there any down-side to Cayce (i.e. higher taxes, etc)?

[swampwolf]

Cayce has some very nice neighborhoods, once you get off of the main fast food drag. Its high school has gone downhill in recent years from what I've heard. I believe that it is a part of Lexington District 2.