Enrollment
214
Oregon · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Columbia City, OR
Columbia City School
Federal NCES profile for Columbia City School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 411172000189
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia City School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Oregon median.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 48.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 214
- students enrolled
Columbia City School has class sizes near the Oregon median. Computed live against every Oregon school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St Helens Sd 502 · Oregon
NCES ID 411172000189 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 17.6:1 Oregon avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.7%
vs 52.8% Oregon avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia City School compares with Oregon and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia City School
Columbia City School is a mid-sized elementary school in Columbia City, Oregon, enrolling 214 students.
At 16.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Oregon median, within a few percentage points of the 17.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 48.7% lands close to the Oregon typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 214 puts it in the smaller third of Oregon schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,273 scored Oregon schools.
Against 80 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #46.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 214 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding St Helens Sd 502 spends $13,483 per pupil, 25% below the Oregon average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
St Helens Sd 502 also operates St Helens High School (823 students) and St Helens Middle School (563 students) alongside Columbia City 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 City School compares
Columbia City School on the metrics families compare, against Oregon and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Oregon | Oregon avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.7% | ▼ 8% | 52.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 214 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
214
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Oregon average of 52.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 43% in Oregon - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$13,483
per pupil, district-wide
- below Oregon avg of $18,086
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 214 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 78.5%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%
Two or More 6.5%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 78.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Columbia City School is less mixed than the Oregon school average of 47.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St Helens Sd 502, which includes Columbia City School.
$13,483
Per student
-25%
vs Oregon
Avg $18,086
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 54.6%
Federal 15.3%
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 City School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Helens High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| St Helens Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mcbride Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lewis & Clark Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| St Helens Arthur Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia City School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 823
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 452
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 160
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Oregon, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~214 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia City School's federal record.
- Compare Columbia City School against another school. Compare schools
- St Helens Sd 502'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 City School
How many students attend Columbia City School?
Columbia City School has 214 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Columbia City, OR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia City School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia City School is 16.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Oregon average of 17.6:1 and 5% higher 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 City School?
48.7% of students at Columbia City School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Oregon average of 52.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia City School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia City School is White at 78.5% of enrollment, in Columbia City, OR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia City School?
Columbia City School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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).
Is Columbia City School a good school?
Columbia City School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Oregon median. 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 St Helens Sd 502?
Besides Columbia City School, St Helens Sd 502 also operates St Helens High School (823 students), St Helens Middle School (563 students), and Mcbride Elementary School (452 students). See the St Helens Sd 502 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.