Enrollment
797
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 390030704844 Charter school
Columbus Preparatory Academy — Columbus, OH
Federal NCES profile for Columbus Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 12
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: Columbus Preparatory Academy · Ohio
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)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 18.3:1 Ohio avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.1%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus Preparatory Academy compares with Ohio 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 Preparatory Academy reports 797 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% below the Ohio state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% above the Ohio average and 38% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 399 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbus Preparatory Academy spends $11,361 per pupil district-wide, below the Ohio average of $16,867 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 7.7% from local sources (property taxes), 74.9% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Preparatory Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Ohio state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.9:1 | ▼ 2% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▲ 2% | 31.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 797 | top 89% | — | — |
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
32.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 54% in Ohio — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,361
per pupil, district-wide
— below Ohio avg of $16,867
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 399 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 797 Top 89% in Ohio — larger than 11% of 3,586 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.1% +2% vs state
NCES ID 390030704844
Student demographics
White 31.1%
African American 28.2%
Hispanic or Latino 16.8%
Asian 14.2%
Two or More 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 31.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 399:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus Preparatory Academy, which includes Columbus Preparatory Academy.
$11,361
Per student
-33%
vs Ohio
Avg $16,867
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 7.7%
State 74.9%
Federal 17.4%
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.
Similar other schools in Columbus
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Kipp Columbus
Standard public school
1,945 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Great River Connections Academy
Standard public school
1,608 students 26.7:1 students per teacher
South High School
Standard public school
873 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Metro Early College High School
Standard public school
869 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Linden-Mckinley Stem Academy
Standard public school
795 students 18:1 students per teacher
Patriot Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
743 students 15.5:1 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 Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Columbus Preparatory Academy?
Columbus Preparatory Academy has 797 students enrolled. It is a other school in Columbus, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus Preparatory Academy is 17.9:1, which is 2% lower than the Ohio average of 18.3:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbus Preparatory Academy?
32.1% of students at Columbus Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Columbus Preparatory Academy is White at 31.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Columbus, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus Preparatory Academy?
Columbus Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.