Enrollment
425
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, WI
Columbus Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Columbus Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 550282000321
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbus Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 29.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbus Elementary has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Columbus, WI.
School address
District: Columbus School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 550282000321 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.9%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus Elementary compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbus Elementary
Columbus Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbus, Wisconsin, enrolling 425 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.9% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 425 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 562 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #354.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 567 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Columbus School District also operates Columbus High (383 students) and Columbus Middle (241 students) alongside Columbus Elementary.
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 compares
Columbus Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.9% | ▼ 22% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 425 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
425
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 39% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,903
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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 + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 82.1%
Hispanic or Latino 10.1%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 1.9%
Asian 1.7%
Largest group: White at 82.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.3, Columbus Elementary is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus School District, which includes Columbus Elementary.
$12,903
Per student
-14%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.2%
State 44.2%
Federal 7.6%
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 Columbus Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbus Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Discovery Charter School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbus Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 71
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~425 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbus Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Columbus Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus 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
How many students attend Columbus Elementary?
Columbus Elementary has 425 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary is 12.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 20% 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?
29.9% of students at Columbus Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Columbus Elementary is White at 82.1% of enrollment, in Columbus, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus Elementary?
Columbus Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 rank among public schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Columbus, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is Columbus Elementary a good school?
Columbus Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin 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 Columbus School District?
Besides Columbus Elementary, Columbus School District also operates Columbus High (383 students), Columbus Middle (241 students), and Discovery Charter School (71 students). See the Columbus 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.