Red Bank Elementary, Lexington SC

Original Research by School Decision on Red Bank Elementary

Red Bank Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Lexington School District 1, one of the fastest-growing districts in South Carolina. The school sits in the suburban town of Lexington, a rapidly growing community west of Columbia that blends a historic downtown core with extensive commercial corridors and new residential subdivisions. The district itself recently passed a major bond referendum to build new schools and renovate existing facilities, a direct response to enrollment growth that has made Lexington 01 the sixth-largest school system in the state.

Academically, Red Bank Elementary’s overall achievement places it among the top quarter of schools when compared with other districts across Lexington County. This is a strong position. Student performance on South Carolina’s state assessments shows a clear subject split. In English language arts, across the tested grades, results were solid, with the proficiency rate rising meaningfully from third to fifth grade. Mathematics results were more mixed: third and fourth graders met the proficiency bar at a rate below that of their peers in English language arts, while fifth graders achieved a notably higher math proficiency rate, comparable to the school’s own upper-grade literacy performance. Science is assessed only at fourth grade, and that result was moderate. A single older social studies score from several years ago is not directly comparable to current assessments. Families interested in the early-grade math trajectory may want to discuss the school’s instructional approach with staff, particularly given the gap between math and literacy in the lower grades.

The student body draws from a community that is economically diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Racially, the school is majority white, with a sizable Black student population and a smaller but still present Hispanic population, alongside students who identify as two or more races. The school does not serve grades where a graduation rate applies, so none is reported. Civil rights data, including discipline and special education counts, were not available in the source information. The school’s Title I status was also not provided, though the economic profile suggests it may be eligible.

The town of Lexington has been adding population rapidly for years, driven by suburban expansion from Columbia and proximity to Lake Murray. Home values and rents in the area reflect that growth pressure, and the district’s bond vote is a direct acknowledgment of capacity constraints: two new elementary schools and a new middle school are in the pipeline, with construction timelines that will shift attendance boundaries over the next several years. The district has also adopted a new K-12 literacy curriculum grounded in the science of reading, supported by state grant funding, with full implementation ongoing. Teacher salary increases were approved in the most recent budget, which may matter for families concerned about staff stability.

Red Bank Elementary offers a traditional elementary experience in a high-growth suburban setting. Its academic profile shows a pattern of relative strength in literacy by the upper elementary grades, a softer math performance in the early years that bears watching, and an overall standing that compares favorably to other schools in the county. Families moving into the area should be aware that the district’s growth is reshaping facilities and attendance zones, a factor that could affect their own enrollment experience over time.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 61% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 59% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 54%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 69% · ▼ 9 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 71% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 52% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 78% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolLexington 01, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income75%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income89%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income69%Higher-income76%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income63%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income56%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income56%4 pp gap