Public schools in Columbus, OH
Columbus has 221 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 49 high, 28 middle, 130 elementary, 14 other, enrolling 89,867 students. They are run by 80 districts and agencies; Columbus City Schools runs 116 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 80 districts and agencies that run Columbus's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Columbus | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus City Schools | 116 | 45,338 | $22,307 |
| South Western City Schools | 11 | 21,766 | $14,393 |
| Worthington Schools | 6 | 10,810 | $15,189 |
| Hamilton Local School District | 5 | 3,082 | $11,458 |
| Groveport Madison Local District | 5 | 6,242 | $14,810 |
| Grandview Heights Schools | 3 | 1,144 | $20,075 |
| Westerville City School District | 2 | 14,571 | $14,875 |
| KIPP Columbus | 1 | 1,920 | $14,180 |
| Great River Connections Academy | 1 | 1,627 | $9,230 |
| Metro Early College High School | 1 | 876 | $10,726 |
| United Preparatory Academy | 1 | 268 | $13,582 |
| Columbus Preparatory Academy | 1 | 841 | $8,863 |
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.
49 high schools in Columbus, 23,604 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worthington Kilbourne High School | 1,623 | 17.8 | 26.0% | Worthington Schools |
| Franklin Heights High School | 1,398 | 19.3 | 60.4% | South Western City Schools |
| Northland High School | 1,029 | 17.4 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Whetstone High School | 1,017 | 19.6 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Briggs High School | 956 | 18.7 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| South High School | 873 | 15.1 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Hamilton Township High School | 873 | 20.8 | 37.8% | Hamilton Local |
| Metro Early College High School | 869 | 18.5 | 40.0% | Metro Early College High School |
| Independence High School | 852 | 18.5 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| West High School | 846 | 16.6 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
The other 39 high schools
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.
28 middle schools in Columbus, 12,894 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodward Park Middle School | 836 | 16.4 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Dominion Middle School | 745 | 15.5 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Hamilton Intermediate School | 706 | 20.2 | 41.4% | Hamilton Local |
| Finland Middle School | 673 | 15.2 | 74.0% | South Western City Schools |
| Franklin Woods Intermediate School | 666 | 21.5 | 73.4% | South Western City Schools |
| Mccord Middle School | 636 | 15.1 | 20.6% | Worthington Schools |
| Norton Middle School | 583 | 14.9 | 70.2% | South Western City Schools |
| World Language Middle School | 536 | 17.3 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Arts Impact Middle School (Aims) | 507 | 14.9 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Sherwood Middle School | 498 | 15.6 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
The other 18 middle schools
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.
130 elementary schools in Columbus, 46,107 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Elementary School | 1,028 | 18.4 | 42.5% | Hamilton Local |
| United Preparatory Academy | 838 | 39.9 | All free (CEP) | United Preparatory Academy |
| Horizon Science Academy Elementary School | 774 | 13.3 | 91.7% | Horizon Science Academy Elementary School |
| Focus Learning Academy of Northern Columbus | 721 | 20.3 | All free (CEP) | Focus Learning Academy of Northern Columbus |
| Indianola Informal K-8 School | 721 | 19.0 | not reported | Columbus City Schools |
| Great Western Academy | 694 | 16.5 | All free (CEP) | Great Western Academy |
| Berwick Alternative K-8 School | 691 | 17.7 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Columbus Humanities Arts and Technology Academy | 637 | 25.5 | All free (CEP) | Columbus Humanities Arts and Technology Academy |
| Hilliard Horizon Elementary School | 596 | 17.3 | 48.0% | Hilliard City |
| Daniel Wright Elementary School | 590 | 17.4 | 60.0% | Dublin City Schools |
The other 120 elementary schools
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.
14 other schools in Columbus, 7,262 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIPP Columbus | 1,945 | 10.9 | All free (CEP) | KIPP Columbus |
| Great River Connections Academy | 1,608 | 41.9 | not reported | Great River Connections Academy |
| Columbus Preparatory Academy | 797 | 20.2 | 32.1% | Columbus Preparatory Academy |
| Patriot Preparatory Academy | 743 | 16.7 | 65.7% | Patriot Preparatory Academy |
| Columbus Arts & Technology Academy | 539 | 19.3 | All free (CEP) | Columbus Arts & Technology Academy |
| Zenith Academy | 429 | 21.5 | All free (CEP) | Zenith Academy |
| Westwood Preparatory Academy | 327 | 10.6 | not reported | Westwood Preparatory Academy |
| Bridge Gate Community School | 199 | 12.1 | All free (CEP) | Bridge Gate Community Schools |
| Oakstone Community School | 197 | 5.8 | not reported | Oakstone Community School |
| Hamilton Local Preschool | 184 | 30.7 | not reported | Hamilton Local |
The other 4 other schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education Center | 178 | not reported | not reported | Columbus City Schools |
| Linden Park Neighborhood Early Childhood Education Center | 64 | 10.7 | All free (CEP) | Columbus City Schools |
| Stiles Family Center | 30 | 7.5 | not reported | South Western City Schools |
| Early Childhood Education and Family Center | 22 | not reported | not reported | Columbus City Schools |
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 Columbus's public schools compare with Ohio's
The median Columbus school has 17.7 students per full-time teacher, more than the Ohio median of 17.0. 85% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 49% across the state. Its median school enrolls 342 students (state 395).
| Columbus | Ohio | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 17.7 | 17.0 |
| Median school size (students) | 342 | 395 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 85% | 49% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 80% | 41% |
| Charter schools | 32% | 9.0% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 221 Columbus schools and the 3,471 Ohio 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 Columbus
- Columbus City SchoolsRuns 116 of Columbus's 221 public schools and spent $22,307 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$22,307
- Worthington Kilbourne High School, the largest high school in Columbus1,623 students in 2024-25, 17.8 per teacher.1,623
- Compare Columbus City Schools with South Western City SchoolsColumbus's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in OhioOhio's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Columbus 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 Ohio
- Cincinnati169 schools
- Cleveland152 schools
- Toledo94 schools
- Dayton84 schools
- Akron72 schools
- Canton38 schools
- Youngstown38 schools
- Springfield27 schools
Questions about schools in Columbus
How many public schools are in Columbus, OH?
221 public schools with an address in Columbus were open in 2024-25: 49 high, 28 middle, 130 elementary, 14 other, enrolling 89,867 students. 70 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Columbus?
Worthington Kilbourne High School, with 1,623 students in 2024-25 (Worthington Schools).Which districts run Columbus's schools?
Columbus City Schools (116 schools), South Western City Schools (11 schools), Worthington Schools (6 schools), Hamilton Local School District (5 schools), and 76 more. 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