Enrollment
646
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Steger, IL
Columbia Central School
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Central School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 173768003880
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Central School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois schools.
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 646
- students enrolled
Columbia Central School has class sizes larger than 80% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Steger Sd 194 · Illinois
NCES ID 173768003880 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Central School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Central School
Columbia Central School is a mid-sized elementary school in Steger, Illinois, enrolling 646 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 646 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (40%) and African American (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 206 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 646 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Steger's elementary schools, it stands alongside Steger Intermediate Center (465 students): Columbia Central School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.1:1 vs 14.1:1).
Steger Sd 194 also operates Steger Intermediate Center (465 students) and Steger Primary Center (396 students) alongside Columbia Central 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 Columbia Central School compares
Columbia Central School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 15% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 646 | top 17% | - | - |
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.
646
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 80% in Illinois - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.1%
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
$15,271
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
120
in-school suspensions + 86 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 40.2%
African American 31.6%
White 18.1%
Two or More 9.4%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 40.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.7, Columbia Central School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Steger Sd 194, which includes Columbia Central School.
$15,271
Per student
-10%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.0%
State 49.8%
Federal 12.2%
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 Central School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steger Intermediate Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Steger Primary Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Central School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in Steger
1 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 Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~646 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Central School's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Central School against another school. Compare schools
- Steger Sd 194'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 Central School
How many students attend Columbia Central School?
Columbia Central School has 646 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Steger, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Central School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Central School is 16.1:1, which is 15% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Central School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Central School is Hispanic or Latino at 40.2% of enrollment, in Steger, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Central School?
Columbia Central School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Columbia Central School a good school?
Columbia Central School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Illinois schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Illinois 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 Steger Sd 194?
Besides Columbia Central School, Steger Sd 194 also operates Steger Intermediate Center (465 students) and Steger Primary Center (396 students). See the Steger Sd 194 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.