Enrollment
1,401
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 470276000964
Columbia Central High School — Columbia, TN
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 18
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 31
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: Maury County · Tennessee
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)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Central High School compares with Tennessee 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 Central High School reports 1,401 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 72.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 29% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 311 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Maury County spends $11,315 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.4% from local sources (property taxes), 41.6% from the state, and 18.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Central High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.5:1 | ▲ 31% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,401 | top 96% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
20.5:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 95% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
27.8%
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
$11,315
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.5 FTE
Per 311 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
257
in-school suspensions + 155 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,401 Top 96% in Tennessee — larger than 4% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 72.0
Students per teacher 20.5:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470276000964
Student demographics
White 44.0%
African American 27.6%
Hispanic or Latino 23.0%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 44.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.5
Students per counselor 311:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.8%
In-school suspensions 257
Out-of-school suspensions 155
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Maury County, which includes Columbia Central High School.
$11,315
Per student
-8%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 41.6%
Federal 18.0%
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
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 907
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 750
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 682
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar high schools in Columbia
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Central High School
How many students attend Columbia Central High School?
Columbia Central High School has 1,401 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Central High School is 20.5:1, which is 31% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Central High School is White at 44.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbia, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Central High School?
Columbia Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.