An equity score of 59/100 ranks Columbus School District #148 of 403 districts in Wisconsin (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,572 per pupil, Columbus School District ranks #98 of 423 Wisconsin districts by per-pupil spending (Wisconsin districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,167
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$16,572
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Columbus School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,167 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Wisconsin. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 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 Waupaca County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,572 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 423 Wisconsin districts by per-pupil spending. See how Wisconsin compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 48.2% local, 44.2% state, and 7.6% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 59/100, ranked #148 of 403 in Wisconsin against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 368.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 15.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 82.5% White, 10.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Columbus Middle, with a diversity index of 34.0/100.
Its largest campus is Columbus Elementary, enrolling 425 students (38% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Discovery Charter School, at 71 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Columbus Elementary accounts for 36.4% of all Columbus School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Columbus School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Columbus School District school enrollment varies 6.0× across entities
Columbus School District school enrollment ranges from 71 students (lowest) to 425 students (highest), a spread of 354 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 School District student-counselor ratio is 369:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Columbus School District chronic absenteeism rate is 15.6% — 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 School District is typically wider than the Columbus School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Columbus School District has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,167 students.
How much does Columbus School District spend per student?
Columbus School District spends $16,572 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #148 in Wisconsin.
What is the demographic composition of Columbus School District?
Columbus School District students are 82.5% White, 10.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.3% African American, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Columbus School District?
Columbus School District has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #148 out of 403 districts in Wisconsin.