Enrollment
481
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Thornwood, NY
Columbus Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Columbus Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 362016001846
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbus Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Thornwood · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.7:1
- students per teacher
- 9.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbus Elementary School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Thornwood, NY.
School address
District: Mount Pleasant Central School District · New York
NCES ID 362016001846 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.3%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbus Elementary School
Columbus Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Thornwood, New York, enrolling 481 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.3% free-meal eligibility runs 83% below the New York average.
With 481 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 456 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #295.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 481 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Mount Pleasant Central School District also operates Westlake High School (566 students) and Westlake Middle School (477 students) alongside Columbus Elementary School.
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 Elementary School compares
Columbus Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.3% | ▼ 83% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 481 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
481
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 83% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 40% in New York - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$30,912
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 481 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 77.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.7%
Asian 5.0%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.0, Columbus Elementary School is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mount Pleasant Central School District, which includes Columbus Elementary School.
$30,912
Per student
+17%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+86%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.3%
State 17.7%
Federal 3.0%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Westlake Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hawthorne Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbus Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 477
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 417
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~481 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbus Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Columbus Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mount Pleasant Central 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 Columbus Elementary School
How many students attend Columbus Elementary School?
Columbus Elementary School has 481 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Thornwood, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary School is 10.7:1, which is 9% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 32% 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 Elementary School?
9.3% of students at Columbus Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Columbus Elementary School is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Thornwood, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus Elementary School?
Columbus Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Columbus Elementary School rank among public schools in Thornwood?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Thornwood, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Thornwood on the city page.
Is Columbus Elementary School a good school?
Columbus Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York 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 Mount Pleasant Central School District?
Besides Columbus Elementary School, Mount Pleasant Central School District also operates Westlake High School (566 students), Westlake Middle School (477 students), and Hawthorne Elementary School (417 students). See the Mount Pleasant Central 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.