Enrollment
829
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Philadelphia, PA
Christopher Columbus Cs
Federal NCES profile for Christopher Columbus Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420005200489Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Christopher Columbus Cs earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #47 of 131
- elementary schools in Philadelphia · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 40.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Christopher Columbus Cs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Christopher Columbus Cs ranks #47 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA.
School address
District: Christopher Columbus Cs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420005200489 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Christopher Columbus Cs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Christopher Columbus Cs
Christopher Columbus Cs is a large charter elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enrolling 829 students.
At 13.8:1, 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 40.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 829 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 386 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #341, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and African American (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 415 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Philadelphia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Northeast Community Propel Academy (1,783 students): Christopher Columbus Cs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.8:1 vs 22.6:1).
Christopher Columbus Cs is a single-school charter district, so Christopher Columbus Cs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Christopher Columbus Cs compares
Christopher Columbus Cs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.7% | ▼ 30% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 829 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
829
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 58% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,216
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 415 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 48.3%
African American 19.5%
Asian 13.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 5.2%
Largest group: White at 48.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.0, Christopher Columbus Cs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Christopher Columbus Cs, which includes Christopher Columbus Cs.
$15,216
Per student
-15%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 81.6%
State 0.6%
Federal 17.9%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Philadelphia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Northeast Community Propel Academy
Standard public school
1,783 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Mayfair Sch
Standard public school
1,763 students 21:1 students per teacher
Solis-Cohen Solomon Sch
Standard public school
1,350 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Mast Community Cs Iii
Standard public school
1,290 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Moore J Hampton Sch
Standard public school
1,192 students 17:1 students per teacher
Farrell Louis H Sch
Standard public school
1,187 students 18:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~829 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Christopher Columbus Cs's federal record.
- Compare Christopher Columbus Cs against another school. Compare schools
- Christopher Columbus Cs'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 Christopher Columbus Cs
How many students attend Christopher Columbus Cs?
Christopher Columbus Cs has 829 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus Cs is 13.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Christopher Columbus Cs?
40.7% of students at Christopher Columbus Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Christopher Columbus Cs?
The largest demographic group at Christopher Columbus Cs is White at 48.3% of enrollment, in Philadelphia, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Christopher Columbus Cs?
Christopher Columbus Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Christopher Columbus Cs rank among elementary schools in Philadelphia?
By Resource Investment Index, Christopher Columbus Cs ranks #47 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Philadelphia on the city page.
Is Christopher Columbus Cs a good school?
Christopher Columbus Cs earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools. 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 Christopher Columbus Cs?
None; Christopher Columbus Cs is a single-school charter district, and Christopher Columbus Cs is its only campus.
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.