23 public K-12 schools in Columbia from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
23 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Columbia's 23 public schools is Atholton High, scoring 46/100, against a city average of 43.2/100. Computed live across every Columbia campus reporting to NCES.
How the Columbia Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Columbia, MD enrolls 15,428 students across 23 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 11.8:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 43.2/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Columbia on this index is Atholton High, at 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,540 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Columbia spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Columbia school enrollment varies 4.9× across entities
Columbia school enrollment ranges from 314 students (lowest) to 1,540 students (highest), a spread of 1,226 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Columbia operates only 1 school district — one of the single most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Columbia school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority, and the count here is near the floor observed nationally. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across a large population, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
Columbia student-teacher ratio is 11.8:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Columbia
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Columbia is Atholton High with a quality score of 46/100. There are 23 public schools in Columbia with 15,428 total students.
How many schools are in Columbia, MD? ▼
Columbia has 23 public schools with a total enrollment of 15,428 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 11.8:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
