Enrollment
579
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Canoga Park, CA
Christopher Columbus Middle
Federal NCES profile for Christopher Columbus Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062271002933
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Christopher Columbus Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools.
- #4 of 13
- public schools in Canoga Park · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- small classes for California
- 90.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Christopher Columbus Middle has class sizes smaller than 86% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Christopher Columbus Middle ranks #4 of 13 public schools in Canoga Park, CA.
School address
District: Los Angeles Unified · California
NCES ID 062271002933 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Christopher Columbus Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Christopher Columbus Middle
Christopher Columbus Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Canoga Park, California, enrolling 579 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.1:1, Christopher Columbus Middle is leaner than roughly 86% of California schools and 25% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 90.5% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 579 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,392 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #119, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Los Angeles Unified spends $21,940 per pupil, 33% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Canoga Park's middle schools, it stands alongside John a. Sutter Middle (763 students): Christopher Columbus Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.1:1 vs 14.4:1).
Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students) and North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students) alongside Christopher Columbus Middle.
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 Middle compares
Christopher Columbus Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▼ 25% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.5% | ▲ 63% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 579 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
579
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 14% in California - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.0%
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
$21,940
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 84.1%
Asian 6.4%
White 5.0%
African American 2.4%
Two or More 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 84.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.5, Christopher Columbus Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Angeles Unified, which includes Christopher Columbus Middle.
$21,940
Per student
+33%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 54.5%
Federal 19.2%
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 Christopher Columbus Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grover Cleveland Charter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Hollywood Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Phineas Banning Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Pedro Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Venice Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Christopher Columbus Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,719
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,444
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,422
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,293
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
Similar middle schools in Canoga Park
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~579 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Christopher Columbus Middle's federal record.
- Compare Christopher Columbus Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Los Angeles Unified'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 Middle
How many students attend Christopher Columbus Middle?
Christopher Columbus Middle has 579 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Canoga Park, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus Middle is 16.1:1, which is 25% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 3% higher 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 Christopher Columbus Middle?
90.5% of students at Christopher Columbus Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Christopher Columbus Middle?
The largest demographic group at Christopher Columbus Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 84.1% of enrollment, in Canoga Park, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Christopher Columbus Middle?
Christopher Columbus Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Middle rank among public schools in Canoga Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Christopher Columbus Middle ranks #4 of 13 public schools in Canoga Park, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Canoga Park on the city page.
Is Christopher Columbus Middle a good school?
Christopher Columbus Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of California 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 Los Angeles Unified?
Besides Christopher Columbus Middle, Los Angeles Unified also operates Grover Cleveland Charter High (2,719 students), North Hollywood Senior High (2,444 students), and Phineas Banning Senior High (2,422 students). See the Los Angeles Unified 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.