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Columbus, Kansas - 4 schools
An equity score of 46/100 ranks Columbus #149 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,501 per pupil, Columbus ranks #151 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
942
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$14,501
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Columbus operates 4 public schools serving 942 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 2 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cherokee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,501 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.3% local, 70.7% state, and 6.9% 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 46/100, ranked #149 of 250 in Kansas against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 310.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 15.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 82.4% White, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Park Elem, with a diversity index of 40.0/100.
Its largest campus is Columbus Junior High and High School, enrolling 438 students (39% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Highland Elem, at 130 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Columbus Junior High and High School accounts for 39.0% of all Columbus student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Columbus-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Columbus school enrollment varies 3.4× across entities
Columbus school enrollment ranges from 130 students (lowest) to 438 students (highest), a spread of 308 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Columbus has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 50.8% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Columbus student-counselor ratio is 311:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Columbus is typically wider than the Columbus-aggregate figure suggests.
Columbus chronic absenteeism rate is 15.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Columbus is typically wider than the Columbus-aggregate figure suggests.