Enrollment
865
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbus, MS
Columbus High School
Federal NCES profile for Columbus High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280120000154
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbus High School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Columbus High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Columbus, MS.
School address
District: Columbus Municipal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280120000154 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbus High School
Columbus High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Columbus, Mississippi, enrolling 865 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Mississippi median, within a few percentage points of the 13.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 865 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 66 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #49, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 288 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 612 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 865 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Columbus Municipal School Dist also operates Columbus Middle School (597 students) and Cook Elementary School (415 students) alongside Columbus High 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 High School compares
Columbus High School on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 865 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
865
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 59% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
62.4%
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
$12,239
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 288 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
240
in-school suspensions + 372 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 70.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
African American 94.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
White 2.1%
Asian 0.8%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 94.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.5, Columbus High School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus Municipal School Dist, which includes Columbus High School.
$12,239
Per student
+2%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.6%
State 38.2%
Federal 28.1%
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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cook Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stokes Beard Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sale Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fairview Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbus High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 290
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Mississippi, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~865 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbus High School's federal record.
- Compare Columbus High School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus Municipal School Dist'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 High School
How many students attend Columbus High School?
Columbus High School has 865 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbus, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus High School is 13.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbus High School?
100.0% of students at Columbus High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus High School?
The largest demographic group at Columbus High School is African American at 94.0% of enrollment, in Columbus, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus High School?
Columbus High School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Columbus High School rank among high schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Columbus High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Columbus, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is Columbus High School a good school?
Columbus High School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi 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 Columbus Municipal School Dist?
Besides Columbus High School, Columbus Municipal School Dist also operates Columbus Middle School (597 students), Cook Elementary School (415 students), and Stokes Beard Elementary School (369 students). See the Columbus Municipal School Dist 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.