Enrollment
620
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lancaster, CA
Columbia Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 9/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061191009131
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Elementary earns 9/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools.
- #27 of 28
- elementary schools in Lancaster · Resource Index
- 9
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.8:1
- large classes for California
- 87.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Elementary has class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #27 of 28 elementary schools in Lancaster, CA.
School address
District: Eastside Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 061191009131 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+57% 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 high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Lancaster, California, enrolling 620 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 87.4% of students qualify for free meals, 57% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 620 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,606 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,548, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 620 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lancaster's elementary schools, it stands alongside Sundown Elementary (941 students): Columbia Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.8:1 vs 29.4:1).
Eastside Union Elementary also operates Gifford C. Cole Middle (697 students) and Enterprise Elementary (646 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 | 23.8:1 | ▲ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.4% | ▲ 57% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 620 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.8:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
620
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 70% in California - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
57.1%
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
$17,290
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 620 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 66.8%
African American 24.2%
White 4.4%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.2, Columbia Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Eastside Union Elementary, which includes Columbia Elementary.
$17,290
Per student
+5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.0%
State 68.5%
Federal 17.5%
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.
How Columbia Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gifford C. Cole Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Enterprise Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tierra Bonita Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eastside Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastside Academy/Transitional Learning Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 697
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 28.2:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar elementary schools in Lancaster
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Sundown Elementary
Standard public school
941 students 29.4:1 students per teacher
Monte Vista Elementary
Standard public school
788 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
Ilead Lancaster Charter
Standard public school
771 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
El Dorado Elementary
Standard public school
766 students 26.4:1 students per teacher
Del Sur Senior Elementary
Standard public school
763 students 28.3:1 students per teacher
West Wind Elementary
Standard public school
757 students 29.1:1 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 (~620 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Eastside Union 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 620 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lancaster, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary is 23.8:1, which is 11% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Elementary?
87.4% 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 Hispanic or Latino at 66.8% of enrollment, in Lancaster, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Elementary?
Columbia Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 9/100 (lower 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 Lancaster?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #27 of 28 elementary schools in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster on the city page.
Is Columbia Elementary a good school?
Columbia Elementary earns 9/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California 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 Eastside Union Elementary?
Besides Columbia Elementary, Eastside Union Elementary also operates Gifford C. Cole Middle (697 students), Enterprise Elementary (646 students), and Tierra Bonita Elementary (636 students). See the Eastside Union 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.