Enrollment
576
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palm Bay, FL
Columbia Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120015002484
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 13
- schools in Palm Bay · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- students per teacher
- 62.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Elementary School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary School ranks #3 of 13 schools in Palm Bay, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.3%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Elementary School
Columbia Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Palm Bay, Florida, enrolling 576 students.
At 16.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 576 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 997 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #211.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and African American (28%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 576 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Brevard also operates Viera High School (2,334 students) and Melbourne Senior High School (2,210 students) alongside Columbia Elementary 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 Elementary School compares
Columbia Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.3% | ▲ 20% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 576 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
576
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 54% in Florida - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,368
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 576 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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 37.5%
African American 27.8%
Hispanic or Latino 24.3%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 37.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.3, Columbia Elementary School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brevard, which includes Columbia Elementary School.
$10,368
Per student
-7%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 37.1%
Federal 17.8%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viera High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Melbourne Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bayside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Odyssey Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,334
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,960
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,917
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~576 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Brevard'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 School
How many students attend Columbia Elementary School?
Columbia Elementary School has 576 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palm Bay, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary School is 16.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 8% 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 School?
62.3% of students at Columbia Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Elementary School is White at 37.5% of enrollment, in Palm Bay, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Elementary School?
Columbia Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 School rank among schools in Palm Bay?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary School ranks #3 of 13 schools in Palm Bay, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palm Bay on the city page.
Is Columbia Elementary School a good school?
Columbia Elementary School earns 40/100 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 Brevard?
Besides Columbia Elementary School, Brevard also operates Viera High School (2,334 students), Melbourne Senior High School (2,210 students), and Bayside High School (2,122 students). See the Brevard 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.