Lexington 5 vs Richland 2 schools...?

[MatthewsMom]

We may be moving to Columbia in the coming months, and I've been looking at elementary schools in both of these districts (Lex. 5 and Rich. 2). Are there any particular schools that stand out to anyone? As far as economically, we're basically middle-of-the-road right now... we can't afford an expensive area, but we want a top-notch school for our son. Also, we don't want to be in the middle of nowhere... we like to be near amenities. We just want a "FRIENDLY" area that's not too expensive, and of course not dangerous. Also, an area that's welcoming to newcomers!

I'll throw some names out... I've been considering River Springs Elem., Seven Oaks, Lake Carolina (is it too far out?), and possibly the two new schools being built (Polo and Sandlapper). My husband is trying to find employment around Irmo/St. Andrews or lower Richland area.

Also, do each of these two areas of Cola. have a certain "flavor" to each of them? If so, could you please explain?

Thanks so much in advance!

Lisa

[The_sandlapper]

I'd say you couldn't go wrong with either selection. Both pretty much have the same deomgraphic and are in the two of the fastest growing areas of the metro. I went to seven oaks elem. for a period of time.

Not sure what you mean by "flavor" though you will have to elaborate.

[sonofaque86]

I graduated from Seven Oaks, but I think the school has changed a bit

[CorgiMatt]

We may be moving to Columbia in the coming months, and I've been looking at elementary schools in both of these districts (Lex. 5 and Rich. 2). Are there any particular schools that stand out to anyone? As far as economically, we're basically middle-of-the-road right now... we can't afford an expensive area, but we want a top-notch school for our son. Also, we don't want to be in the middle of nowhere... we like to be near amenities. We just want a "FRIENDLY" area that's not too expensive, and of course not dangerous. Also, an area that's welcoming to newcomers!

I'll throw some names out... I've been considering River Springs Elem., Seven Oaks, Lake Carolina (is it too far out?), and possibly the two new schools being built (Polo and Sandlapper). My husband is trying to find employment around Irmo/St. Andrews or lower Richland area.

Also, do each of these two areas of Cola. have a certain "flavor" to each of them? If so, could you please explain?

Thanks so much in advance!

Lisa

Call Richland School District 1 and ask which elementary schools feed the middle schools that feed Dreher High School and A.C. Flora High School for city (urban) living and excellence in education.

[The_sandlapper]

Dreher HS

Hand Middle

Meadowfield Elementary

A.C. Moore Elementary

Rosewood Elementary

S. Kilbourne Elementary

A.C. Flora High

Crayton Middle

Brennen Elementary

Brockman Elementary

Burnside Elementary

Satchel Ford Elementary

Hall Institute

Morris Village

[MatthewsMom]

I'd say you couldn't go wrong with either selection. Both pretty much have the same deomgraphic and are in the two of the fastest growing areas of the metro. I went to seven oaks elem. for a period of time.

Not sure what you mean by "flavor" though you will have to elaborate.

For example, affluent vs blue-collar, liberal vs. conservative, diverse, kid-friendly, rural vs. urban, etc. Also, we're probably going to have to rent an apt./condo at first, but will want to buy a house in the future. I know some of the high-achieving schools don't have apt. rentals in their school zone, and we don't want to have to change schools/areas or drive a great distance when we DO decide to buy.

Hope I'm making sense, lol!

Thanks,

Lisa

[The_sandlapper]

Well Columbia doesn't have a large blue-collar population so many of those living in those areas will more than likely be very affluent (not to say you can't be affluent and be blue collar), you will probablly see just as many liberals as you will conservatives, however I would think the NE area of town is probablly a bit more left leaning than the Irmo/Lexington part of town. I would think both areas are pretty much kid friendly, and both are your classic sub-urban USA strongholds. Again you couldn't have choosen better locations for apt/condo rental both areas are flooded with options. However I will say it has become less desireable to live in apts in the St. Andrews area. Not to say that it's bad but just that all the people that onced lived there now live in subdivisions a few miles up the road.

However if I were moving to Columbia with a family I would probablly opt for the Northeast area.

[CorgiMatt]

Well Columbia doesn't have a large blue-collar population so many of those living in those areas will more than likely be very affluent (not to say you can't be affluent and be blue collar), you will probablly see just as many liberals as you will conservatives, however I would think the NE area of town is probablly a bit more left leaning than the Irmo/Lexington part of town. I would think both areas are pretty much kid friendly, and both are your classic sub-urban USA strongholds. Again you couldn't have choosen better locations for apt/condo rental both areas are flooded with options. However I will say it has become less desireable to live in apts in the St. Andrews area. Not to say that it's bad but just that all the people that onced lived there now live in subdivisions a few miles up the road.

However if I were moving to Columbia with a family I would probablly opt for the Northeast area.

I probably would also if I were relying solely on popular perception regarding school quality. But my homework and a few visits to Northeast at rush hour would make me look into other possibilities. Given my abhorrence for suburbia, my research would guide me to the Dreher High School track I am sure. A.C. Flora would be second.

[The_sandlapper]

To each is own I suppose? I grew up in suburbia though (St. Andrews) so I'm use to the navigation.

[MatthewsMom]

Thank you so much for your advice! We'll probably drive out there on Sunday...

[waccamatt]

We may be moving to Columbia in the coming months, and I've been looking at elementary schools in both of these districts (Lex. 5 and Rich. 2). Are there any particular schools that stand out to anyone? As far as economically, we're basically middle-of-the-road right now... we can't afford an expensive area, but we want a top-notch school for our son. Also, we don't want to be in the middle of nowhere... we like to be near amenities. We just want a "FRIENDLY" area that's not too expensive, and of course not dangerous. Also, an area that's welcoming to newcomers!

I'll throw some names out... I've been considering River Springs Elem., Seven Oaks, Lake Carolina (is it too far out?), and possibly the two new schools being built (Polo and Sandlapper). My husband is trying to find employment around Irmo/St. Andrews or lower Richland area.

Also, do each of these two areas of Cola. have a certain "flavor" to each of them? If so, could you please explain?

Thanks so much in advance!

Lisa

Lisa, welcome to the Columbia area. Alot depends on what you're looking for outside of the schools. All of the schools you mentioned have good reputations. If you would prefer to live in-town, an earlier poster mentioned the Dreher feeder schools: AC Moore Elementary in the Shandon/Rosewood area is excellent and feeds into the highly regarded Hand Middle School and Dreher High School. Logan Elementary School in the Elmwood Park neighborhood is also an excellent school, but feeds into a middle school that isn't as good as Hand. I am biased towards wanting people to move into the city, but between the 2 suburban areas I think NE Richland (School District 2) is a better area to live in than Lex/Rich 5. I went to high school at Spring Valley so that makes me somewhat biased in that regard, also.

[Spartan]

You need to check out this site for info on SC schools:

http://www.myscschools.com/reportcard/

[waccamatt]

You need to check out this site for info on SC schools:

http://www.myscschools.com/reportcard/

That is an interesting site, although I probably put more stock into the opinions of people I know that have children in the respective schools.

[MatthewsMom]

I've been on that website many, many times... yes, it's a good one. Although, like the previous poster said, it's better to get opinions from people w/ first-hand knowledge of the school/area.

For example, I've just learned that Seven Oaks is a Title I school (which means many of its students are low-income, I guess?). However, according to my research, it's a high-achieving school and has a good rep. I'm wondering if this will influence my decision to investigate this school further. Also, I've found that most of the schools in these areas are pretty diverse anyway (with the exception of Irmo Elem., River Springs, maybe a couple others), which kind of surprised me. Most important to me are that the kids are well-behaved, the teachers are good and are happy to be there, etc.

My husband's off to Columbia today for interviews (he's an optician). He has an interview on Garner's Ferry and one on Harbison Rd. So I guess we'll see what happens. I can't wait to go down there myself to get a better perspective on the area.

[CorgiMatt]

I've been on that website many, many times... yes, it's a good one. Although, like the previous poster said, it's better to get opinions from people w/ first-hand knowledge of the school/area.

For example, I've just learned that Seven Oaks is a Title I school (which means many of its students are low-income, I guess?). However, according to my research, it's a high-achieving school and has a good rep. I'm wondering if this will influence my decision to investigate this school further. Also, I've found that most of the schools in these areas are pretty diverse anyway (with the exception of Irmo Elem., River Springs, maybe a couple others), which kind of surprised me. Most important to me are that the kids are well-behaved, the teachers are good and are happy to be there, etc.

My husband's off to Columbia today for interviews (he's an optician). He has an interview on Garner's Ferry and one on Harbison Rd. So I guess we'll see what happens. I can't wait to go down there myself to get a better perspective on the area.

This is slightly off topic, but did anyone ask you, MatthewsMom, why y'all areconsidering moving to Columbia? I'm always interested in knowing that from newcomers and potential newcomers.

[sonofaque86]

Well me graduating from St. Andrews Middle and Columbia High not even 2 years ago found those schools not to be bad as people perceive them to be. I mean you can choose an area to live in because of schools but demographics can change very quickly....I know for a fact Columbia High area is a complete turn around from what it was 10-15 years ago...For example, the school was like 60-70% white, now it's about 95% black..Nothing wrong with that, just saying that schools wont be the same forever.

Seven Oaks Elem. When I went there it was mostly middle and upper-middle come people...Now its mostly lower income people....But maybe the NE wont really change as rapidly as the other side of town

[MatthewsMom]

This is slightly off topic, but did anyone ask you, MatthewsMom, why y'all areconsidering moving to Columbia? I'm always interested in knowing that from newcomers and potential newcomers.

My husband's been wanting to move here for years. He grew up in Irmo, went to Irmo schools all the way through HS. He still has a few good friends that live here. Also, we have family in Charleston, so we'd be closer to them. The job market looks alot better there than what we're used to (Rock Hill, Greenville, Charleston), at least for his profession.

For me it's a combination of the excellent reputation of the schools, lower cost of living, and amenities. On the negative side, I'm worried about the HOT summers, but there's ways to deal w/ that. The long and short of it is that I want a better quality life for my son. Hope we can have it there!

[MatthewsMom]

Well me graduating from St. Andrews Middle and Columbia High not even 2 years ago found those schools not to be bad as people perceive them to be. I mean you can choose an area to live in because of schools but demographics can change very quickly....I know for a fact Columbia High area is a complete turn around from what it was 10-15 years ago...For example, the school was like 60-70% white, now it's about 95% black..Nothing wrong with that, just saying that schools wont be the same forever.

Seven Oaks Elem. When I went there it was mostly middle and upper-middle come people...Now its mostly lower income people....But maybe the NE wont really change as rapidly as the other side of town

Hope so! We're also looking at Rice Creek out in the NE. It would be so much easier if we could just buy a house right now. It would be easier picking a school. Unfortunately, we'll have to rent for a while. It's hard to find affordable rentals in the top school areas. We don't want out son to have to change schools again when we buy a house. Maybe we can find a lease to own.

[The_sandlapper]

Cool, so where are you guys moving from?

[The_sandlapper]

Well me graduating from St. Andrews Middle and Columbia High not even 2 years ago found those schools not to be bad as people perceive them to be. I mean you can choose an area to live in because of schools but demographics can change very quickly....I know for a fact Columbia High area is a complete turn around from what it was 10-15 years ago...For example, the school was like 60-70% white, now it's about 95% black..Nothing wrong with that, just saying that schools wont be the same forever.

Seven Oaks Elem. When I went there it was mostly middle and upper-middle come people...Now its mostly lower income people....But maybe the NE wont really change as rapidly as the other side of town

Sono it sounds like again we have taken identical paths by about ten years apart. I went to seven oaks during first grade then my fam. moved and I went to Sandel Elem. at that time it was called Seminole Rd. Elem. Then of course we both know we went to St. Andrews mid, and Cola HS.

Ironically enough too I went to USC my freshman year, but then I transfered to Marshall. Your not headed up to WV are ya.

[MatthewsMom]

Cool, so where are you guys moving from?

We live in Rock Hill right now. My screen name reflects the short six months we did in Matthews, NC last year... haven't bothered to change it yet. We've only lived here for a short time, but Rock Hill doesn't seem to suit us very well...

[CorgiMatt]

My husband's been wanting to move here for years. He grew up in Irmo, went to Irmo schools all the way through HS. He still has a few good friends that live here. Also, we have family in Charleston, so we'd be closer to them. The job market looks alot better there than what we're used to (Rock Hill, Greenville, Charleston), at least for his profession.

For me it's a combination of the excellent reputation of the schools, lower cost of living, and amenities. On the negative side, I'm worried about the HOT summers, but there's ways to deal w/ that. The long and short of it is that I want a better quality life for my son. Hope we can have it there!

I made it a hobby last summer to watch the weather report to compare the temperatures in Columbia and Charleston versus the heat indices (how how it feels) in the two cities, and the heat index in Charleston was consistently higher through the hottest period of last summer. The last two times I visited there in the summer I could not believe how it felt. It was so oppressive I could hardly stand walking down the street. I said to a check-out clerk somewhere, "so much for Columbia being hotter than Charleston," and she just chuckled. I thought to myself for the rest of my visit that if Charlestonians today actually are taking solace in the fact that at least they're not in Columbia, the so-called hottest city in SC, that is just laughable - no other way to describe it. They can talk about the sea breeze, but if a row of buildings is between you and the sea, it doesn't do you much good. But I always figure that's why they invented air-conditioning anyway.

[Temeteron]

We may be moving to Columbia in the coming months, and I've been looking at elementary schools in both of these districts (Lex. 5 and Rich. 2). Are there any particular schools that stand out to anyone? As far as economically, we're basically middle-of-the-road right now... we can't afford an expensive area, but we want a top-notch school for our son. Also, we don't want to be in the middle of nowhere... we like to be near amenities. We just want a "FRIENDLY" area that's not too expensive, and of course not dangerous. Also, an area that's welcoming to newcomers!

I'll throw some names out... I've been considering River Springs Elem., Seven Oaks, Lake Carolina (is it too far out?), and possibly the two new schools being built (Polo and Sandlapper). My husband is trying to find employment around Irmo/St. Andrews or lower Richland area.

Also, do each of these two areas of Cola. have a certain "flavor" to each of them? If so, could you please explain?

Thanks so much in advance!

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Richland 2 is exceptionally amazing district, I went to Summit Parkway Middle & graduated from Ridge View High, and it is one of the fastest growing school districts in the state....Blythewood high school is probably the most technologically advanced high school I've ever seen, my cousin is a history teacher there and it is crazy about how much stuff they have nowadays than when I was in high school. Nevertheless, Irmo/Harbison which is District 5 is also a nice district, both areas have nice amenities, Harbison has Columbiana Mall which is the best shopping IMO in Columbia, but Northeast area has Village @ Sandhills, and is growing very rapidly and theres always something popping up, seems to be more affluent part of town than Irmo/Harbison......IMO is a nicer area and way more variety of homes.....for elementary schools finally to answer your question, Rice Creek is known for its award winning programs, & Lake Carolina I heard is nice too...good luck!

[waccamatt]

Lisa, while it is a hair warmer in Columbia than it is in Rock Hill, it isn't more than a degree or two at most times; I don't think you'll even notice a difference.

Columbia airport average temps

Rock Hill average temps

[MatthewsMom]

Hey there,

Well, we drove to Cola. and we will either buy a house or rent. It's between River Springs Elem. area (Kennerly Rd.), Lexington (Midway Elem. or Lake Murray Elem.), or NE Richland (the new Sandlapper Elem.). Any ideas on which area would be more friendly, family-oriented, accepting to newcomers? And also what the traffic is like in each area? My husband will work in Harbison at first and next year might be working in NE Rich.

Also, what area do you suggest would be best to get the most equity if we sell in the future? We're on our way there today in a few hours to look in Irmo.

My husband is from Irmo. He's not totally happy w/ NE Rich. because he thinks it's too diverse... it doesn't matter that much to me. I just want a safe, friendly area w/ the best schools. He was leaning toward Lexington, but to me it just seems like there's NO diversity. Don't mean to offend anyone of color... that's just my husband... Also, I have some Spanish in me (but I'm adopted and born in PA) so I'm not lilly-white, and I'm worried about being accepted, etc. Never had to worry about that stuff until I moved to the South.

Anyways, any info would be great. Also, does anyone know about the new Sandlapper Elementary in NE Richland? I heard they'll have the top technology.

Thank you,

Lisa