Enrollment
397
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbia, PA
Columbia Hs
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420636002515
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbia Hs earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 85.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbia Hs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Hs ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Columbia, PA.
School address
District: Columbia Borough Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420636002515 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbia Hs
Columbia Hs is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Columbia, Pennsylvania, enrolling 397 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 397 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 539 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #180.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 199 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 101 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 397 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Columbia Borough Sd also operates Park El Sch (511 students) and Columbia Ms Taylor Campus (202 students) alongside Columbia Hs.
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 Hs compares
Columbia Hs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.6% | ▲ 47% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
397
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
38.8%
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
$17,384
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 199 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 41.3%
Hispanic or Latino 37.3%
African American 11.6%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 41.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Columbia Hs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Borough Sd, which includes Columbia Hs.
$17,384
Per student
-3%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 44.5%
Federal 17.6%
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 Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park El Sch | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbia Ms Taylor Campus | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbia Ms Hill Campus | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbia Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 511
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~397 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbia Hs's federal record.
- Compare Columbia Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia Borough Sd'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 Hs
How many students attend Columbia Hs?
Columbia Hs has 397 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Hs is 13.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Hs?
85.6% of students at Columbia Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Hs?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Hs is White at 41.3% of enrollment, in Columbia, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Hs?
Columbia Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Columbia Hs rank among public schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbia Hs ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Columbia, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Columbia on the city page.
Is Columbia Hs a good school?
Columbia Hs earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools. 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 Borough Sd?
Besides Columbia Hs, Columbia Borough Sd also operates Park El Sch (511 students), Columbia Ms Taylor Campus (202 students), and Columbia Ms Hill Campus (202 students). See the Columbia Borough Sd 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.