Enrollment
1,161
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130387001406
Columbus High School — Columbus, GA
Federal NCES profile for Columbus High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 63/100.
👥 Class size 26
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 95
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: Muscogee County · Georgia
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)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.6%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-79% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus High School compares with Georgia 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 High School reports 1,161 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% above the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, 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.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 79% below the Georgia average and 76% below the national baseline. The school offers 28 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 387 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Muscogee County spends $14,671 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.8% from local sources (property taxes), 43.0% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+), 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 High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Georgia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 28% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.6% | ▼ 79% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,161 | top 86% | — | — |
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.
Economic need
12.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 79% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 95% in Georgia — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
2.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,671
per pupil, district-wide
— below Georgia avg of $15,679
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 387 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,161 Top 86% in Georgia — larger than 14% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.6% -79% vs state
NCES ID 130387001406
Student demographics
White 41.2%
African American 21.8%
Asian 16.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Two or More 7.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 28
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 387:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.1%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Muscogee County, which includes Columbus High School.
$14,671
Per student
-6%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.8%
State 43.0%
Federal 18.2%
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
- 1,405
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,162
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,040
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar high schools in Columbus
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Northside High School
Standard public school
1,405 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Shaw High School
Standard public school
1,162 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Hardaway High School
Standard public school
1,067 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Jordan Vocational High School
Standard public school
1,040 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Spencer High School
Standard public school
1,016 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Carver High School
Standard public school
887 students 16.4:1 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 High School
How many students attend Columbus High School?
Columbus High School has 1,161 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbus, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus High School is 18.5:1, which is 28% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbus High School?
12.6% of students at Columbus High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus High School?
The largest demographic group at Columbus High School is White at 41.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbus, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus High School?
Columbus High School has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+) 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.