Lexington 05, SC - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lexington 05

Lexington 05, officially known as Lexington and Richland County School District Five, serves a broad suburban area in western Richland County, South Carolina, including the towns of Chapin and Irmo and extending into portions of Columbia. The district is large, operating over twenty schools that serve students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is a conventional public school district, and publicly reported information describes it as one of the state’s faster-growing districts, with enrollment that has increased steadily over the past decade, driven by residential development in the Lake Murray region and along the I-26 corridor. A district-wide facility plan and new school construction have been publicly reported as responses to that growth.

In terms of academic performance, Lexington 05 posts proficiency rates on state assessments that, when averaged across all tested subjects and grade levels, place the district in the top quartile among Richland County’s districts. This is a strong result relative to its immediate county neighbors. The pattern within the district warrants a closer look by a parent. In the early elementary grades, proficiency rates are consistently solid, with the majority of third and fourth graders meeting or exceeding the state’s bar in both English language arts and math. As students move into middle school, the math results drop off noticeably; by seventh and eighth grade, fewer than two in five students score proficient in math. That is the district’s most significant soft spot, and a parent may want to ask the school or district what interventions and course pathways are in place for middle school math. English language arts holds up better across the grade span, with seventh and eighth grade rates staying in the low-to-mid sixties. Science assessment results, available for fourth and sixth grades, show a moderate proficiency level, with sixth grade science scoring above the same grade’s math. Social studies scores, though from an older assessment cycle, were historically quite high. The district provides no four-year graduation rate in the data, a notable gap given its size and grade span; a parent may wish to confirm this figure directly with the district.

The student body is predominantly white, with just over half of students identifying as white. Black students make up the largest minority group, at just over a quarter of enrollment, followed by smaller shares of Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and Asian students. The data does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it include counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so it is not possible to describe the district’s economic or special-population profile from this evidence. A parent should look for that information on the district’s own website or state report card.

Housing in the district’s attendance zone varies considerably by zip code. The most expensive market is in the Chapin area, around Lake Murray, where home values are notably higher than the district-wide average. The more affordable end of the district is in the Columbia zip codes, where home values and rents are lower. The district’s overall weighted home value sits above the state median, and the weighted rent is modestly below the cost of an estimated monthly mortgage, making renting proportionally more affordable than buying in the current rate environment. The unemployment rate nationally has been steady, and mortgage rates recently hovered just under six and a half percent.

Chronic absenteeism in the district is reported at a rate that falls above the midpoint of Richland County districts, meaning a larger share of students miss significant school days than in many neighboring systems, though the rate is lower than the county’s worst. Per-pupil current spending places in the middle range, in the lower half of the county cohort, which is not unusual for a large suburban district in a county with multiple districts. The district’s chronic absenteeism and spending metrics are areas where a family may wish to inquire further about how resources are allocated and what attendance support programs exist.

Lexington 05 is a large, growing suburban district with academic strengths in the early years and in English language arts overall, but with a clear math performance drop in the middle grades that deserves attention. Its housing market is varied, with pricier lake-area communities and more accessible options near Columbia, and its enrollment is predominantly white with a significant Black minority. The district’s spending per student is moderate for the county, and its chronic absenteeism rate is a concern compared to the strongest-performing local districts. A parent looking at this district should prioritize asking about middle school math instruction and supports, and should seek out the missing data on economic disadvantage and special education populations to round out the picture.

See more original research from School Decision →

District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

17,278

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 7%

Black 28%

White 54%

Asian 3%

Two+ 7%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

55%

81%

Gr 4

58%

84%

Gr 5

55%

83%

Gr 6

44%

75%

Gr 7

46%

79%

Gr 8

47%

77%

Math

Gr 3

46%

75%

Gr 4

42%

77%

Gr 5

38%

70%

Gr 6

28%

61%

Gr 7

22%

53%

Gr 8

20%

51%

Science

Gr 4

38%

68%

Gr 6

44%

76%

Schools in this District

23 schools are officially reported under this district.

Dutch Fork High

Lake Murray Elementary

River Springs Elementary

Dutch Fork Middle

Chapin Elementary

Dutch Fork Elementary

Irmo Elementary

Leaphart Elementary

Seven Oaks Elementary

Irmo Middle

Irmo High

Ballentine Elementary

Oak Pointe Elementary

CrossRoads Intermediate

Chapin High

Nursery Road Elementary

Harbison West Elementary

H. E. Corley Elementary

Chapin Intermediate

Center for Advanced Technical Studies

Spring Hill High

Chapin Middle

Piney Woods Elementary

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

61%

Grade 3

60%

Grade 4

55%

Grade 5

45%

Grade 6

38%

Grade 7

37%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

68%

Grade 3

71%

Grade 4

70%

Grade 5

60%

Grade 6

63%

Grade 7

63%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

53%

Grade 4

61%

Grade 6

Social Studies

2 grades reported

79%

Grade 5

79%

Grade 7

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$346,849

Year-over-year change+1.7%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$201K to $438K

vs. state typical1.14x

vs. national typical0.94x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
29036	Chapin	$438K	+1.7%	40.3%
29063	Irmo	$278K	+1.4%	30.8%
29212	Columbia	$280K	+0.6%	14.3%
29075	Little Mountain	$342K	+4.3%	10.6%
29210	Columbia	$201K	+0.6%	3.9%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,952/mo

Year-over-year change-0.1%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,220 to $2,335/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
29036	Chapin	$2,335	—	40.3%
29063	Irmo	$1,736	-0.1%	30.8%
29212	Columbia	$1,537	-1.3%	14.3%
29210	Columbia	$1,220	+3.4%	3.9%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,750/mo

Home price / national median income4.1x

Annual rent / national median income28.0%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$202/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$305,174 (+0.4% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.