Enrollment
705
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 420537007260
Central Columbia El Sch — Bloomsburg, PA
Federal NCES profile for Central Columbia El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 58
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Central Columbia Sd · Pennsylvania
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Columbia El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Central Columbia El Sch reports 705 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 52.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% below the Pennsylvania average and 32% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 353 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Central Columbia Sd spends $18,177 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.8% from local sources (property taxes), 35.1% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Central Columbia El Sch compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.1% | ▼ 40% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 705 | top 79% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
35.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 49% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,177
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 353 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 705 Top 79% in Pennsylvania — larger than 21% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 52.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.1% -40% vs state
NCES ID 420537007260
Student demographics
White 90.4%
Two or More 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
Asian 2.1%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 90.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 353:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Columbia Sd, which includes Central Columbia El Sch.
$18,177
Per student
-20%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 55.8%
State 35.1%
Federal 9.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar elementary schools in Bloomsburg
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Central Columbia Ms
Standard public school
587 students 17:1 students per teacher
Memorial El Sch
Standard public school
405 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
W W Evans Memorial El Sch
Standard public school
250 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Beaver-Main El Sch
Standard public school
95 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Central Columbia El Sch
How many students attend Central Columbia El Sch?
Central Columbia El Sch has 705 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Bloomsburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Columbia El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Columbia El Sch is 13.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Columbia El Sch?
35.1% of students at Central Columbia El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Columbia El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Central Columbia El Sch is White at 90.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bloomsburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Columbia El Sch?
Central Columbia El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.