An equity score of 44/100 ranks Columbia #43 of 67 districts in Florida (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,472 per pupil, Columbia ranks #59 of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending (Florida districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
9,887
Total Enrollment
17
Schools
$10,472
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Columbia operates 17 public schools serving 9,887 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Florida. The school portfolio breaks down into 14 combined, 2 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Columbia County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,472 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending. See how Florida compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 20.7% local, 52.5% state, and 26.9% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #43 of 67 in Florida against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 17 schools offering Advanced Placement (37 AP courses district-wide), a 513:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 37.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.8% White, 24.9% African American, 10.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Summers Elementary School, with a diversity index of 67.5/100.
Its largest campus is Columbia High School, enrolling 1,711 students (17% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Prek Ese, at 7 students, a 244x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Columbia High School accounts for 17.3% of all Columbia student enrollment
That concentration means Columbia-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Columbia school enrollment varies 244× across entities
Columbia school enrollment ranges from 7 students (lowest) to 1,711 students (highest), a spread of 1,704 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Columbia student-counselor ratio is 513:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Columbia chronic absenteeism rate is 37.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Columbia has 17 schools, including 1 high, 14 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 9,887 students.
How much does Columbia spend per student?
Columbia spends $10,472 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #43 in Florida.
What is the demographic composition of Columbia?
Columbia students are 55.8% White, 24.9% African American, 10.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 17 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Columbia?
Columbia has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #43 out of 67 districts in Florida.