Enrollment
701
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 010000802097
Columbia Elementary School — Madison, AL
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 76
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Madison City · Alabama
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 17.8:1 Alabama avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.7%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Columbia Elementary School reports 701 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Alabama state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 20.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% below the Alabama average and 60% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 701 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Madison City spends $14,105 per pupil district-wide, below the Alabama average of $14,500 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.2% from local sources (property taxes), 47.9% from the state, and 7.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Columbia Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alabama state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17:1 | ▼ 4% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.7% | ▼ 65% | 58.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 701 | top 79% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
20.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 39% in Alabama — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,105
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alabama avg of $14,500
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 701 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 701 Top 79% in Alabama — larger than 21% of 1,369 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 17:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.7% -65% vs state
NCES ID 010000802097
Student demographics
White 54.6%
African American 16.3%
Asian 10.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 8.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 54.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 701:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.6%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison City, which includes Columbia Elementary School.
$14,105
Per student
-3%
vs Alabama
Avg $14,500
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.2%
State 47.9%
Federal 7.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,159
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,048
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,103
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,097
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,054
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
Similar other schools in Madison
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Midtown Elementary School
Standard public school
1,097 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Mill Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
965 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Rainbow Elementary School
Standard public school
725 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Madison Elementary School
Standard public school
603 students 14:1 students per teacher
Legacy Elementary School
Standard public school
594 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Horizon Elementary School
Standard public school
567 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Columbia Elementary School
How many students attend Columbia Elementary School?
Columbia Elementary School has 701 students enrolled. It is a other school in Madison, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary School is 17:1, which is 4% lower than the Alabama average of 17.8:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Elementary School?
20.7% of students at Columbia Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Elementary School is White at 54.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Madison, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Elementary School?
Columbia Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.