Public schools in Columbia, MS
Columbia has 6 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 2 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, enrolling 2,153 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Columbia School District runs 4 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Columbia's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Columbia | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia School District | 4 | 1,646 | $12,423 |
| Marion Co School Dist | 2 | 1,904 | $13,221 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
2 high schools in Columbia, 700 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | 484 | 13.7 | 100.0% | Columbia |
| East Marion High School | 216 | 10.4 | 98.6% | Marion Co School Dist |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One middle school in Columbia, 329 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Middle School | 329 | 12.1 | 59.0% | Columbia |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 elementary schools in Columbia, 1,124 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Primary School | 448 | 12.9 | 58.9% | Columbia |
| Columbia Elementary School | 378 | 13.1 | 61.4% | Columbia |
| East Marion Elementary School | 298 | 17.8 | 99.0% | Marion Co School Dist |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Columbia's public schools compare with Mississippi's
The median Columbia school has 13.0 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the Mississippi median of 13.9. 100% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 81% across the state. Its median school enrolls 354 students (state 421).
| Columbia | Mississippi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 13.0 | 13.9 |
| Median school size (students) | 354 | 421 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 100% | 81% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 30% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 0.9% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 6 Columbia schools and the 844 Mississippi schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Columbia
- Columbia School DistrictRuns 4 of Columbia's 6 public schools and spent $12,423 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,423
- Columbia High School, the largest high school in Columbia484 students in 2024-25, 13.7 per teacher.484
- Compare Columbia School District with Marion Co School DistColumbia's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in MississippiMississippi's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Columbia addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Mississippi
- Jackson46 schools
- Gulfport22 schools
- Hattiesburg18 schools
- Meridian16 schools
- Olive Branch14 schools
- Biloxi13 schools
- Columbus13 schools
- Vicksburg13 schools
Questions about schools in Columbia
How many public schools are in Columbia, MS?
6 public schools with an address in Columbia were open in 2024-25: 2 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, enrolling 2,153 students.What is the largest high school in Columbia?
Columbia High School, with 484 students in 2024-25 (Columbia School District).Which districts run Columbia's schools?
Columbia School District (4 schools), Marion Co School Dist (2 schools). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25