Enrollment
489
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Orlando, FL
Columbia Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120144001451
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #65 of 128
- schools in Orlando · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 47.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Elementary has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #65 of 128 schools in Orlando, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Elementary compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Elementary
Columbia Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Orlando, Florida, enrolling 489 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 47.7% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 489 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 610 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #429.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 489 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students) and Timber Creek High (3,383 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 Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▼ 14% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.7% | ▼ 8% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 489 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
489
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 37% in Florida - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
33.1%
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
$11,578
per pupil, district-wide
- above Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 489 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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
White 45.4%
Hispanic or Latino 37.2%
African American 6.5%
Asian 5.7%
Two or More 3.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 45.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.7, Columbia Elementary is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange, which includes Columbia Elementary.
$11,578
Per student
+4%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.2%
State 28.8%
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.
How Columbia Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apopka High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timber Creek High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winter Park High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colonial High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Windermere High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher 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
- 3,446
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 3,383
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,277
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,239
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 3,217
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~489 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Orange'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 489 students enrolled. It is a public school in Orlando, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary is 15.3:1, which is 14% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 3% lower 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?
47.7% of students at Columbia Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Elementary is White at 45.4% of enrollment, in Orlando, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Elementary?
Columbia Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 schools in Orlando?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #65 of 128 schools in Orlando, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Orlando on the city page.
Is Columbia Elementary a good school?
Columbia Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida 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 Orange?
Besides Columbia Elementary, Orange also operates Apopka High (3,446 students), Timber Creek High (3,383 students), and Winter Park High (3,277 students). See the Orange 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.