Enrollment
8
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Corning, CA
Columbia Academy
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 65/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060978007459
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Academy earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California.
- #1 of 7
- elementary schools in Corning · Resource Index
- 65
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8:1
- small classes for California
- 81.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Academy has class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Academy ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in Corning, CA.
School address
District: Corning Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 060978007459 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-63% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Academy
Columbia Academy is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Corning, California, enrolling 8 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8:1, Columbia Academy is leaner than roughly 97% of California schools and 63% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.8% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of California schools, with 8 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 21 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and White (38%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 16 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Discipline events run high: 20 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 8 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Corning's elementary schools, it stands alongside Olive View Elementary (549 students): Columbia Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8:1 vs 23.9:1).
Corning Union Elementary also operates Olive View Elementary (549 students) and Maywood Middle (515 students) alongside Columbia Academy.
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 Columbia Academy compares
Columbia Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8:1 | ▼ 63% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.8% | ▲ 47% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 8 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
8
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8:1
students per teacher
- 63% below state mean
Top 3% in California - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$14,475
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 250.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 62.5%
White 37.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.9, Columbia Academy is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Corning Union Elementary, which includes Columbia Academy.
$14,475
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.9%
State 69.9%
Federal 14.2%
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 Columbia Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive View Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maywood Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodson Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Street Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Tehama Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 515
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 324
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools in Corning
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Olive View Elementary
Standard public school
549 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Woodson Elementary
Standard public school
486 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
West Street Elementary
Standard public school
324 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Richfield Elementary
Standard public school
253 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Kirkwood Elementary
Standard public school
105 students 21:1 students per teacher
Rancho Tehama Elementary
Standard public school
94 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~8 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Academy's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Corning Union Elementary'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 Columbia Academy
How many students attend Columbia Academy?
Columbia Academy has 8 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Corning, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Academy is 8:1, which is 63% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 49% 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 Columbia Academy?
81.8% of students at Columbia Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Academy?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 62.5% of enrollment, in Corning, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Academy?
Columbia Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Columbia Academy rank among elementary schools in Corning?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Academy ranks #1 of 7 elementary schools in Corning, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Corning on the city page.
Is Columbia Academy a good school?
Columbia Academy earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of California schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in California. 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 Corning Union Elementary?
Besides Columbia Academy, Corning Union Elementary also operates Olive View Elementary (549 students), Maywood Middle (515 students), and Woodson Elementary (486 students). See the Corning Union Elementary 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.