How are the schools in Columbia, SC?

Columbia has 63 public schools in federal filings, 59 with enough reported data to grade. 37% of graded schools rate A or B on reported-incident data. 43 schools reported zero bullying incidents in the most recent federal collection. Per-school grades appear in NeighborhoodSense address reports.

What is the air quality in Columbia, SC?

EPA monitoring for Richland County recorded a median AQI of 48 with 55% good air days in 2025. That median is better than 15% of monitored SC counties.

Are there toxic chemical releases in Columbia, SC?

24 facilities in Columbia report chemical releases to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. Reported releases include 271,565 lbs of carcinogen-class chemicals. Facility locations relative to a specific address appear in NeighborhoodSense reports.

Is Columbia, SC safe?

NeighborhoodSense doesn't rate cities as safe or unsafe. Instead we compile the public record — reported school incidents, EPA chemical releases, air quality, hospital patient experience, and more — so you can weigh the facts for any specific address in Columbia.

City data / SC / Columbia

Columbia, SC: The Full Public Record

271,565 pounds of cancer-linked chemical releases. 59 schools with federal incident records. 1 hospitals rated by their own patients. All public record — compiled in one place for Columbia, and available in full for any address in it.

Schools

Federal civil-rights filings cover 63 schools in Columbia, including 18 high schools. 59 report enough data to grade on reported incidents. Across those, 37% rate A or B.

A 8

B 14

C 32

D 5

In the most recent federal collection, schools here reported 54 bullying allegations, 19 weapon incidents, and 8 school-related arrests.

School-by-school grades, incident counts, and which schools serve a given address In the address report

Academic access

13 schools offer Advanced Placement courses. 14 offer dual enrollment for college credit. 43 run gifted & talented programs, and 3 offer the International Baccalaureate.

Which schools — with course counts, athletics, and counselor staffing In the address report

Chemical releases

24 facilities in Columbia report chemical releases to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. Their filings include 271,565 pounds of carcinogen-class releases.

Largest reported releases by weight: Styrene (261,201 lbs), Sulfuryl fluoride (46,000 lbs), Methyl methacrylate (14,805 lbs).

Facility names, locations, and distance from a specific address In the address report

Air quality

EPA monitoring for Richland County recorded a median AQI of 48 in 2025, with good air on 55% of monitored days. 15% of monitored SC counties recorded worse air — most recorded better.

Hospitals — rated by their patients

1 hospitals operate within 15 miles of central Columbia; 1 carry federal patient-experience scores. On average, 92% of patients said doctors communicated well. 89% would recommend their hospital.

92% — nurses communicated well
73% — medications clearly explained
83% — clear discharge instructions
83% — rooms rated clean
2 infection-safety measures tracked (MRSA, C. diff, surgical infections)

Which hospital is which — scores and infection data by name, plus distance from any address In the address report

Fatal police incidents

Public records document 3 fatal police shooting incidents in Columbia over the tracked period. Locations relative to a specific address appear in address reports.

Broader crime figures for Columbia are collected at the city level by the FBI's national reporting system; NeighborhoodSense presents them at that level, labeled as city-level — not attributed to any street or block.

Local economy

Richland County's economy is classified as growing in federal employment data with 1.4% job growth over the tracked decade, average annual pay of $61,390, and 12,364 registered businesses.

Every address in Columbia has its own report

The figures above are city and county totals. The address report shows the five schools serving a specific home, facility distances, hospital names and scores, and more — from the same official sources.

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