Enrollment
368
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Downey, CA
Columbus (Christopher) High
Federal NCES profile for Columbus (Christopher) High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061146001262
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbus (Christopher) High earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Downey · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.6:1
- small classes for California
- 66.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbus (Christopher) High has class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus (Christopher) High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Downey, CA.
School address
District: Downey Unified · California
NCES ID 061146001262 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus (Christopher) High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbus (Christopher) High
Columbus (Christopher) High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Downey, California, enrolling 368 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.6:1, Columbus (Christopher) High is leaner than roughly 91% of California schools and 37% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.1% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 368 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,601 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,083.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 460 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 81.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Downey's high schools, it stands alongside Downey High (4,051 students): Columbus (Christopher) High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 23.3:1).
Downey Unified also operates Downey High (4,051 students) and Warren (Earl) High (3,609 students) alongside Columbus (Christopher) 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 Columbus (Christopher) High compares
Columbus (Christopher) High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▼ 37% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.1% | ▲ 19% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 368 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
368
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 9% in California - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
81.3%
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
$15,382
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 91.0%
White 4.3%
African American 2.4%
Asian 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 91.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.9, Columbus (Christopher) High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Downey Unified, which includes Columbus (Christopher) High.
$15,382
Per student
-7%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.5%
State 67.1%
Federal 12.4%
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 Columbus (Christopher) High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downey High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Warren (Earl) High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Griffiths (Gordon) Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbus (Christopher) High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,051
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 3,609
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 26.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,264
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar high schools in Downey
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~368 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbus (Christopher) High's federal record.
- Compare Columbus (Christopher) High against another school. Compare schools
- Downey Unified'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 Columbus (Christopher) High
How many students attend Columbus (Christopher) High?
Columbus (Christopher) High has 368 students enrolled. It is a high school in Downey, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus (Christopher) High?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus (Christopher) High is 13.6:1, which is 37% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 13% lower 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 Columbus (Christopher) High?
66.1% of students at Columbus (Christopher) High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus (Christopher) High?
The largest demographic group at Columbus (Christopher) High is Hispanic or Latino at 91.0% of enrollment, in Downey, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus (Christopher) High?
Columbus (Christopher) High has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (lower 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 Columbus (Christopher) High rank among high schools in Downey?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus (Christopher) High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Downey, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Downey on the city page.
Is Columbus (Christopher) High a good school?
Columbus (Christopher) High earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 91% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California 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 Downey Unified?
Besides Columbus (Christopher) High, Downey Unified also operates Downey High (4,051 students), Warren (Earl) High (3,609 students), and Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle (1,329 students). See the Downey Unified 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.