Hope Christian Academy
under 1 mi ✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades 4-12 13 students 3.6 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational) Special education
Private schools in West Columbia, SC
34 schools within 12 miles. 19 of them are on the state’s ESTF list. ESTF pays $7,634 per student for 2026-27.
Schools near West Columbia
Schools on the official ESTF list are first, then it goes by distance. No school pays to appear here or to move up.
Glenforest School
1 mi ✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades K-12 68 students 4.5 students per teacher Nonsectarian Special education
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-7 28 students 7 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-6 94 students 9.4 students per teacher Roman Catholic
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-12 705 students 11.3 students per teacher Baptist
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades K-12 31 students 10.7 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-5 72 students 7.2 students per teacher Nonsectarian
Ben Lippen School
7 mi ✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-12 1,105 students 13.7 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
Hammond School
8 mi ✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-12 944 students 9.3 students per teacher Nonsectarian
Sandhills School
10 mi ✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades 1-12 104 students 4.3 students per teacher Nonsectarian Special education
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades PreK-8 95 students 7.4 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational)
Upward Learning Center
11 mi ✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund
✓ South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Grades K-12 29 students 9.4 students per teacher Baptist
Grace Christian School
under 1 mi Grades PreK-12 183 students 10.9 students per teacher Baptist
Grades PreK-6 33 students 7.5 students per teacher Roman Catholic
Grades PreK-6 89 students 6.6 students per teacher Nonsectarian Montessori
Marnie Leads Academy
5 mi Grades PreK-K 1 students 1 students per teacher Christian (nondenominational) Early childhood
Grades PreK-K 14 students 4.2 students per teacher Methodist Early childhood
On the state’s official list Other private schools
All 34 schools within 12 miles
What South Carolina pays, and what that leaves you
South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Education savings account
$7,634 per student for 2026-27 Paid quarterly.
Figures read from each program’s official pages, 2026-09-20. Sources and how to apply
What would you pay?
Tuition and fees ESTF pays You pay per year Spread over 10 months
We filled in the standard ESTF amount. Change it if your award letter says something different. An award can never be more than the school actually charges. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
Keep looking
- Christian schools in West Columbia (13)
- Catholic schools in West Columbia (3)
- Montessori schools in West Columbia (5)
- Special education schools in West Columbia (3)
- All schools in Lexington County
- All schools in Richland County
- All schools in Midtown - Downtown County
- All schools in Waverly County
- Private schools in Columbia (8 mi)
- Private schools in Lexington (9 mi)
- Private schools in Newberry (35 mi)
- Private schools in Camden (36 mi)
- Private schools in Orangeburg (36 mi)
- Private schools in Sumter (42 mi)
- How ESTF works
Get one email when applications open
Most programs open once a year, and several ran out of money or seats in 2026. Pick your state (you are looking at West Columbia) and we will email you the day the next window opens, with the official link. That is the only email you get.
One email per application window. No calls, no sharing your details.
Questions parents ask
How many private schools are there near West Columbia?
We count 34 within 12 miles of downtown West Columbia. Together they enrolled about 4,047 students in the last federal survey (2023-24). The largest is Ben Lippen School with 1,105 students.
Which West Columbia private schools take ESTF?
19 of the 34 schools on this page are on the state’s official ESTF list. They are marked with a green check and listed first. Schools marked here appear as in-person independent schools on the approved-provider workbook published by the South Carolina Department of Education, dated September 3, 2026.
Will ESTF cover the whole tuition bill?
Sometimes, but do not count on it. ESTF pays $7,634 per student for 2026-27, and schools set their own prices. Ask each school for tuition plus fees, then use the calculator on this page to see what is left for you to pay.