Enrollment
367
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Burbank, WA
Columbia Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 530159000279
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Burbank · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16:1
- students per teacher
- 46.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Elementary has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Burbank, WA.
School address
District: Columbia (Walla Walla) School District · Washington
NCES ID 530159000279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.2%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Elementary
Columbia Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Burbank, Washington, enrolling 367 students.
At 16:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Washington median, within a few percentage points of the 17.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.2% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 367 students, its enrollment sits close to the Washington median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 459 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #141.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Columbia (Walla Walla) School District also operates Columbia High School (235 students) and Columbia Middle School (174 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 Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▼ 9% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.2% | ▲ 3% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
367
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 46% in Washington - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.8%
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
$17,786
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 367 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 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 59.1%
Hispanic or Latino 35.7%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 1.1%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 59.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.2, Columbia Elementary is about as mixed as the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia (Walla Walla) School District, which includes Columbia Elementary.
$17,786
Per student
-9%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.7%
State 63.8%
Federal 8.5%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar 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
- 235
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 174
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~367 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia (Walla Walla) School District'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 367 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Burbank, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Elementary is 16:1, which is 9% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 2% 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?
46.2% of students at Columbia Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Elementary is White at 59.1% of enrollment, in Burbank, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Elementary?
Columbia Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 public schools in Burbank?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Elementary ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Burbank, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Burbank on the city page.
Is Columbia Elementary a good school?
Columbia Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington 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 (Walla Walla) School District?
Besides Columbia Elementary, Columbia (Walla Walla) School District also operates Columbia High School (235 students) and Columbia Middle School (174 students). See the Columbia (Walla Walla) School District 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.