Enrollment
1,141
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbia Heights, MN
Columbia Heights Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Heights Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 270951000396
👥 S:T ratio 20
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Heights Senior High earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Columbia Heights · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 66.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Heights Senior High has class sizes larger than 83% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Heights Senior High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Columbia Heights, MN.
School address
District: Columbia Heights Public School Dist · Minnesota
NCES ID 270951000396 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Heights Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Heights Senior High
Columbia Heights Senior High is a higher-need, large high school in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, enrolling 1,141 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 20:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 66.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,141 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 45 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #28.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and African American (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Columbia Heights Public School Dist also operates Columbia Academy (719 students) and Valley View Elementary (568 students) alongside Columbia Heights Senior High.
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 Heights Senior High compares
Columbia Heights Senior High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20:1 | ▲ 27% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.9% | ▲ 56% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,141 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,141
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 83% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.0%
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
$15,723
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 50.7%
African American 30.3%
White 11.8%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 50.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.5, Columbia Heights Senior High is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Heights Public School Dist, which includes Columbia Heights Senior High.
$15,723
Per student
+3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.9%
State 63.6%
Federal 15.5%
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 Heights Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Valley View Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Park School for Innovation | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Early Childhood | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Heights Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 74
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,141 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Heights Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Heights Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia Heights Public School Dist'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 Heights Senior High
How many students attend Columbia Heights Senior High?
Columbia Heights Senior High has 1,141 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia Heights, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Heights Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Heights Senior High is 20:1, which is 27% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Heights Senior High?
66.9% of students at Columbia Heights Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Heights Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Heights Senior High is Hispanic or Latino at 50.7% of enrollment, in Columbia Heights, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Heights Senior High?
Columbia Heights Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Columbia Heights Senior High rank among high schools in Columbia Heights?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Heights Senior High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Columbia Heights, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Columbia Heights on the city page.
Is Columbia Heights Senior High a good school?
Columbia Heights Senior High earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Heights Public School Dist?
Besides Columbia Heights Senior High, Columbia Heights Public School Dist also operates Columbia Academy (719 students), Valley View Elementary (568 students), and Highland Elementary (534 students). See the Columbia Heights Public School Dist district page for the complete list.
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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.