Enrollment
601
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Bloomsburg, PA
Central Columbia Shs
Federal NCES profile for Central Columbia Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420537001619
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Columbia Shs earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Bloomsburg · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 26.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Columbia Shs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Columbia Shs ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Bloomsburg, PA.
School address
District: Central Columbia Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420537001619 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Columbia Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Columbia Shs
Central Columbia Shs is a mid-sized high school in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, enrolling 601 students.
At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 601 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 603 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #247.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Bloomsburg's high schools, it stands alongside Columbia-Montour Avts (609 students): Central Columbia Shs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.4:1 vs 12.7:1).
Central Columbia Sd also operates Central Columbia El Sch (705 students) and Central Columbia Ms (587 students) alongside Central Columbia Shs.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Central Columbia Shs compares
Central Columbia Shs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.1% | ▼ 55% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 601 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
601
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% 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 51% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,186
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 90.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 2.0%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.7, Central Columbia Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Columbia Sd, which includes Central Columbia Shs.
$16,186
Per student
-10%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Central Columbia Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Columbia El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Columbia Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Columbia Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar high schools in Bloomsburg
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~601 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Columbia Shs's federal record.
- Compare Central Columbia Shs against another school. Compare schools
- Central Columbia Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Central Columbia Shs
How many students attend Central Columbia Shs?
Central Columbia Shs has 601 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bloomsburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Columbia Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Columbia Shs is 13.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Columbia Shs?
26.1% of students at Central Columbia Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Columbia Shs?
The largest demographic group at Central Columbia Shs is White at 90.0% of enrollment, in Bloomsburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Columbia Shs?
Central Columbia Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central Columbia Shs rank among high schools in Bloomsburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Columbia Shs ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Bloomsburg, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Bloomsburg on the city page.
Is Central Columbia Shs a good school?
Central Columbia Shs earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Central Columbia Sd?
Besides Central Columbia Shs, Central Columbia Sd also operates Central Columbia El Sch (705 students) and Central Columbia Ms (587 students). See the Central Columbia Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.