Elementary school (grades K-5) · Columbia City, IN

Coesse School

Federal NCES profile for Coesse School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180228001871
0/100100/10045/100
👥 S:T ratio
27
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Coesse School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Indiana schools.

#1 of 3
elementary schools in Columbia City · Resource Index
45
Resource Index · Typical
18.2:1
large classes for Indiana
34.7%
free-lunch eligible

Coesse School has class sizes larger than 82% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Coesse School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Columbia City, IN.

Enrollment

291

Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

16.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.2:1

vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg

+14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

34.7%

vs 49.5% Indiana avg

-30% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Coesse School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Coesse School

Coesse School is a mid-sized elementary school in Columbia City, Indiana, enrolling 291 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.7% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 291 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.

Among 294 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #218, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 582 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Attendance holds up well here: only 7.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

Among Columbia City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Little Turtle Elementary School (583 students): Coesse School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.2:1 vs 16.7:1).

Whitley County Con Schools also operates Columbia City High School (1,202 students) and Indian Springs Middle School (797 students) alongside Coesse School.

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 Coesse School compares

Coesse School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Indiana Indiana avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 18.2:1 ▲ 14% 15.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 34.7% ▼ 30% 49.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 291 top 80% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
291
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
34.7%
free-lunch eligible - 30% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.2:1
students per teacher - 14% above state mean
Top 82% in Indiana - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,149
per pupil, district-wide - below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 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

White 91.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
Two or More 2.7%

Largest group: White at 91.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 16.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 16.1, Coesse School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Whitley County Con Schools, which includes Coesse School.

$10,149
Per student
-16%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 59.3%
Federal 6.4%

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 Coesse School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Columbia City High School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Indian Springs Middle School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Little Turtle Elementary School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Northern Heights Elementary School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mary Raber Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Coesse School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Whitley County Con Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Columbia City

2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Coesse School's federal record.

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 Coesse School

How many students attend Coesse School?

Coesse School has 291 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Columbia City, IN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Coesse School?

The student-teacher ratio at Coesse School is 18.2:1, which is 14% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Coesse School?

34.7% of students at Coesse School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coesse School?

The largest demographic group at Coesse School is White at 91.4% of enrollment, in Columbia City, IN.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Coesse School?

Coesse School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Coesse School rank among elementary schools in Columbia City?

By Resource Investment Index, Coesse School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Columbia City, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Columbia City on the city page.

Is Coesse School a good school?

Coesse School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Indiana 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 Whitley County Con Schools?

Besides Coesse School, Whitley County Con Schools also operates Columbia City High School (1,202 students), Indian Springs Middle School (797 students), and Little Turtle Elementary School (583 students). See the Whitley County Con Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.