Enrollment
719
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 270951000395
Columbia Academy — Columbia Heights, MN
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Columbia Heights Public School Dist · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Columbia Academy reports 719 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 68.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% above the Minnesota average and 33% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 50.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia Heights Public School Dist spends $19,651 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.9% from local sources (property taxes), 63.6% from the state, and 15.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Columbia Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 10% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.8% | ▲ 61% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 719 | top 88% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
68.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
50.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,651
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 719 Top 88% in Minnesota — larger than 12% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 68.8% +61% vs state
NCES ID 270951000395
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 54.9%
African American 24.6%
White 11.5%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 54.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 50.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 56
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Heights Public School Dist, which includes Columbia Academy.
$19,651
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.9%
State 63.6%
Federal 15.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,141
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 74
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
Similar middle schools in Columbia Heights
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Columbia Academy
How many students attend Columbia Academy?
Columbia Academy has 719 students enrolled. It is a middle school in COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Academy is 17.5:1, which is 10% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Academy?
68.8% of students at Columbia Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Academy?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 54.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Academy?
Columbia Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.