Columbia-area middle school students showed marked gains on standardized assessments this past year, especially in mathematics.
Virtually all Richland and Lexington County school districts increased their percentage of middle school students who met or exceeded expectations in both English language arts and math on the 2025-26 SC READY test, according to data released by the South Carolina Department of Education.
Two local districts — Lexington 3 and Lexington 4 — improved by double-digit percentages in English language arts and all but one district achieved at least 16% gains in math…