Chapin Intermediate School and Chapin Middle School demonstrated strong academic performance in mathematics on the 2025-26 SC READY test, with results released by the South Carolina Department of Education on Monday, August 24, 2026. Chapin Intermediate, which serves students in grades 5 and 6, achieved the second-highest ranking in math proficiency among Columbia-area middle schools. Chapin Middle School, serving grades 7 and 8, secured the fifth position in the same assessment.
The data indicates significant gains across Richland and Lexington County school districts in standardized assessments, particularly in mathematics. Nearly all districts in these counties saw an increase in the percentage of middle school students who met or exceeded expectations in both English language arts and math. Lexington 3 and Lexington 4 districts notably improved by double-digit percentages in English language arts, and almost every district achieved at least a 16% gain in math.
Gray Collegiate Academy, a K-12 charter school in West Columbia, also performed well, with its middle school students outperforming those in traditional districts in both English language arts and math. In English language arts, after Gray Collegiate, four Lexington 1 schools—Lakeside, Beechwood, Pleasant Hill, and Meadow Glen middle schools—rounded out the top five, with over three-quarters of their tested students meeting or exceeding expectations. These same Lexington 1 schools also featured prominently in the top math performers list alongside the Chapin schools. Crayton Middle School in Forest Acres and Blythewood Middle School in Blythewood were also among the top math performers.
For the purpose of this analysis, schools serving at least one middle grade and ranking in the top 20% locally in student proficiency for either subject area were identified as top performers.
