Private Schools

Private Schools in Columbia, South Carolina

17 private schools in Columbia, South Carolina with at least 30 students answered the 2023-24 federal survey. Together they enroll 3,899 students: 5 Catholic, 7 other religious and 5 nonsectarian. 9 schools go through high school grades.

Schools listed

Go through high school

Median enrollment

Median students per teacher

7.5

Private schools in Columbia, South Carolina

Largest first. Students per teacher is the school’s own report.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher	Affiliation
Ben Lippen School	PK–12	1,105	13.7	Christian
Hammond School	PK–12	944	9.3	Nonsectarian
Cardinal Newman School	7–12	562	10.6	Catholic
St John Newmann Catholic School	PK–6	255	11.8	Catholic
St Joseph School	PK–6	213	8.2	Catholic
The School of Norah ArkSpecial program	PK–12	141	4.9	Disciples of Christ
Sandhills SchoolSpecial education	1–12	104	4.3	Nonsectarian
St Peters Catholic School	PK–6	94	9.4	Catholic
Montessori School of ColumbiaMontessori	PK–6	89	6.6	Nonsectarian
Center for Learning	PK–5	72	7.2	Nonsectarian
Mission Hope Foundation	PK–10	66	7.3	Islamic
Grace Community Academy of Columbia	K–12	58	6.7	Christian
Cutler Jewish Day SchoolAlternative	PK–5	47	4.3	Jewish
Cutler Jewish Day SchoolSpecial program	PK–5	45	4.7	Jewish
The Uhuru Academy Education SolutionsAlternative	K–12	40	8	Nonsectarian
St Martin de Porres School	PK–6	33	7.5	Catholic
Daniels Christian Schools	K–12	31	10.7	Christian

Getting in, and keeping up

Private school entrance exams: format, scoring, and dates for the ISEE, SSAT, and HSPT.
Using a 529 plan for K-12 tuition and tutoring.
Colleges in South Carolina, for families already looking ahead.

Email me the Columbia private school list

A link to this list, plus our guide to the entrance exams these schools use.

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Frequently asked questions

How many private schools are in Columbia, South Carolina?

17 private schools in Columbia, South Carolina with at least 30 students answered the 2023-24 federal Private School Universe Survey. Schools that did not answer are not counted, so the real number is higher.

What is the largest private school in Columbia, South Carolina?

Among schools that answered the survey, Ben Lippen School in Columbia is the largest, with 1,105 students in grades PK–12.

How big are classes at private schools in Columbia, South Carolina?

The survey reports students per teacher, not class size. The median private school in Columbia, South Carolina has 7.5 students per teacher and 89 students in total.

Do private schools require an entrance exam?

Many independent schools ask for the ISEE or SSAT, and many Catholic high schools use the HSPT. Each school sets its own rule, so check the admissions page of every school on your list.

Source: NCES Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2023-24 public-use data file, National Center for Education Statistics. Schools that answered the survey and enrolled at least 30 students. Amish schools are left out. Schools report their own figures, and a school that did not answer the survey does not appear.