Columbia Borough SD
Public school district · Lancaster County · Pennsylvania · NCES district ID 4206360
Columbia Borough SD spent $19,673 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 77% of the other Pennsylvania districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $17,594). Its 4 schools enrolled 1,312 students in 2024-25; 46.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $19,073 per student, down 3.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 65-69% (Pennsylvania: 87.5%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Pennsylvania districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Columbia Borough SD in enrollment (1,229 to 1,258 students) and Columbia Borough SD itself.
Where the money came from
$36,333,000 in revenue: 46.1% state, 37.4% local and 16.5% federal. Total spending including $3,797,000 of capital outlay was $32,745,000, or $26,217 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$16,745,000 46%
- Local$13,581,000 37%
- Federal$6,007,000 17%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 418 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
1,243 students in 2022-23, 1,250 students in 2023-24, 1,312 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 1,243 | 97.5 | 12.7 |
| 2023-24 | 1,250 | 99.3 | 12.6 |
| 2024-25 | 1,312 | 99.3 | 13.2 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$6,635,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,312 per student
Columbia Borough SD booked $6,635,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 98 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $68,016 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 15 in 100 Pennsylvania districts with a figure (state median $81,309, 647 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Pennsylvania teacher salary at $72,248 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $4,866,000 | 73.3% |
| Special education | $1,479,000 | 22.3% |
| Other programs | $290,000 | 4.4% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,686 in 2018-19, $4,683 in 2019-20, $4,796 in 2020-21, $5,124 in 2021-22, $5,312 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Columbia Borough SD scored proficient or above: 33-37% in reading and 10-14% in math, against 54% in reading and 34% in math across Pennsylvania. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Pennsylvania, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | Pennsylvania | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 33-37% | 54% | 546 |
| Math | 10-14% | 34% | 552 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
65-69% of the 103 students in Columbia Borough SD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.5% across Pennsylvania. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 65‑69% | 87.5% |
| Students in the class | 103 | 136,045 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
1 elementary school, 511 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Elementary School | 511 | 13.2 | 71.1% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 middle schools, 404 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia MS Taylor Campus | 202 | 11.7 | 87.8% | Not reported |
| Columbia MS Hill Campus | 202 | 12.7 | 93.5% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
1 high school, 397 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | 397 | 14.5 | 85.6% | Targeted program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Columbia Borough SD
- Website: columbiabsd.org
- Phone: (717) 684-2283
- Office: 200 N. Fifth St., Columbia, PA 17512
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Columbia Borough SD
- Pennsylvania districts by spending per studentColumbia Borough SD ranks 98 of 418 Pennsylvania districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($19,673).#98 of 418
- Every school district in PennsylvaniaColumbia Borough SD is the number 373 by size of 775 Pennsylvania districts, with 1,249 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#373 of 775
- Wattsburg Area SDThe next larger Pennsylvania district: 1,256 students in fall 2022, $19,299 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,299
- 21st Century Cyber Charter SchoolThe next smaller Pennsylvania district: 1,239 students in fall 2022, $14,926 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,926
- Compare Columbia Borough SD with Wattsburg Area SDEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Columbia High School, its largest high school397 students in 2024-25, 14.5 per teacher.397
- Teacher salary spending across PennsylvaniaColumbia Borough SD spent $68,016 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $81,309); spending, not a salary.$68,016
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Columbia Borough SD
How many schools and students are in Columbia Borough SD?
4 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high), enrolling 1,312 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Columbia Borough SD spend per student?
$19,673 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Pennsylvania median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $17,594 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $19,073 per student, down 3.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Columbia Borough SD's money come from?
$36,333,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 46.1% state, 37.4% local and 16.5% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Columbia Borough SD live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 297 of the 1,485 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 20.0%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Columbia Borough SD spend on teacher salaries?
$6,635,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,312 per student. Divided by the 98 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $68,016 per teacher, more than 15 in 100 Pennsylvania districts (state median $81,309). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Pennsylvania teacher salary at $72,248 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Columbia Borough SD do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Columbia Borough SD scored proficient or above: 33-37% in reading and 10-14% in math, against 54% in reading and 34% in math across Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Columbia Borough SD?
65-69% of the 103 students in Columbia Borough SD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.5% across Pennsylvania. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Columbia Borough SD's NCES district ID?
4206360. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25