Enrollment
430
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Redding, CA
Columbia Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060945000961
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #6 of 24
- elementary schools in Redding · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 40.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #6 of 24 elementary schools in Redding, CA.
School address
District: Columbia Elementary · California
NCES ID 060945000961 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Elementary
Columbia Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Redding, California, enrolling 430 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 430 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,265 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #349.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 430 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Redding's elementary schools, it stands alongside Boulder Creek Elementary (839 students): Columbia Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.5:1 vs 22.1:1).
Columbia Elementary also operates Mountain View Middle (327 students) and Columbia-East Valley K-6 Community Day (2 students) alongside Columbia Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Columbia Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.8% | ▼ 26% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 430 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
430
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,200
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 430 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: 0.2 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 68.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.8%
Two or More 8.4%
Asian 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 68.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.5, Columbia Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Elementary, which includes Columbia Elementary.
$16,200
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 52.7%
Federal 13.0%
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.
How Columbia Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbia-East Valley K-6 Community Day | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 327
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2
- Students per teacher
- 2:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar elementary schools in Redding
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Boulder Creek Elementary
Standard public school
839 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Turtle Bay
Standard public school
692 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Mistletoe Elementary
Standard public school
682 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary
Standard public school
600 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Manzanita Elementary
Standard public school
545 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Buckeye School of the Arts
Standard public school
482 students 17.9:1 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 (~430 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia 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 Elementary
How many students attend Columbia Elementary?
Columbia Elementary has 430 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Redding, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% 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 Elementary?
40.8% of students at Columbia Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Elementary is White at 68.6% of enrollment, in Redding, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Elementary?
Columbia Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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).
How does Columbia Elementary rank among elementary schools in Redding?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #6 of 24 elementary schools in Redding, 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 Redding on the city page.
Is Columbia Elementary a good school?
Columbia Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California 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 Columbia Elementary?
Besides Columbia Elementary, Columbia Elementary also operates Mountain View Middle (327 students) and Columbia-East Valley K-6 Community Day (2 students). See the Columbia 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.