Enrollment
820
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 390438000680
Columbus Alternative High School — Columbus, OH
Federal NCES profile for Columbus Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 26
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 0
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: Columbus City Schools District · Ohio
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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 18.3:1 Ohio avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus Alternative High School compares with Ohio 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
Columbus Alternative High School reports 820 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Ohio state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 410 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbus City Schools District spends $22,434 per pupil district-wide, above the Ohio average of $16,867 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 61.4% from local sources (property taxes), 19.7% from the state, and 18.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Columbus Alternative High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Ohio state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 820 | top 90% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 61% in Ohio — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
54.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,434
per pupil, district-wide
— above Ohio avg of $16,867
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 410 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 820 Top 90% in Ohio — larger than 10% of 3,586 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 390438000680
Student demographics
African American 53.4%
White 27.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 4.3%
Largest group: African American at 53.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 410:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.0%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 58
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus City Schools District, which includes Columbus Alternative High School.
$22,434
Per student
+33%
vs Ohio
Avg $16,867
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 61.4%
State 19.7%
Federal 18.9%
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
- 1,029
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,017
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 956
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 873
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
Similar high schools in Columbus
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Worthington Kilbourne High School
Standard public school
1,623 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Franklin Heights High School
Standard public school
1,398 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Northland High School
Standard public school
1,029 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Whetstone High School
Standard public school
1,017 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Briggs High School
Standard public school
956 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Hamilton Township High School
Standard public school
873 students 19.4:1 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 Columbus Alternative High School
How many students attend Columbus Alternative High School?
Columbus Alternative High School has 820 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbus, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Alternative High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus Alternative High School is 18.5:1, which is 1% higher than the Ohio average of 18.3:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at Columbus Alternative High School is African American at 53.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbus, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus Alternative High School?
Columbus Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.