Enrollment
694
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Columbus, OH
Great Western Academy
Federal NCES profile for Great Western Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 390019204716Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Great Western Academy earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio schools.
- #54 of 72
- elementary schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.3:1
- students per teacher
- 694
- students enrolled
Great Western Academy has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Great Western Academy ranks #54 of 72 elementary schools in Columbus, OH.
School address
District: Great Western Academy · Ohio
NCES ID 390019204716 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Great Western Academy compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Great Western Academy
Great Western Academy is a large charter elementary school in Columbus, Ohio, enrolling 694 students.
At 18.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Ohio median, within a few percentage points of the 18.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 694 puts it in the larger third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 3,574 Ohio schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (42%) and African American (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 347 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 147 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 694 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Columbus's elementary schools, it stands alongside Hamilton Elementary School (1,028 students): Great Western Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.3:1 vs 21.9:1).
Great Western Academy is a single-school charter district, so Great Western Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Great Western Academy compares
Great Western Academy on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▲ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 694 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
694
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 60% in Ohio - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
49.3%
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
$12,020
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 347 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
74
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
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
Hispanic or Latino 41.8%
African American 29.7%
White 13.8%
Two or More 12.4%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 41.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.2, Great Western Academy is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Western Academy, which includes Great Western Academy.
$12,020
Per student
-18%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.0%
State 76.5%
Federal 23.5%
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 elementary schools in Columbus
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Hamilton Elementary School
Standard public school
1,028 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
United Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
838 students 49.3:1 students per teacher
Horizon Science Academy Elementary School
Standard public school
774 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Focus Learning Academy of Northern Columbus
Standard public school
721 students
Indianola Informal K-8 School
Standard public school
721 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Hamilton Intermediate School
Standard public school
706 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~694 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Great Western Academy's federal record.
- Compare Great Western Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Great Western Academy'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 Great Western Academy
How many students attend Great Western Academy?
Great Western Academy has 694 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Columbus, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Great Western Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Great Western Academy is 18.3:1, which is 1% higher than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Great Western Academy?
The largest demographic group at Great Western Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 41.8% of enrollment, in Columbus, OH. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Great Western Academy?
Great Western Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower 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 Great Western Academy rank among elementary schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Great Western Academy ranks #54 of 72 elementary schools in Columbus, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is Great Western Academy a good school?
Great Western Academy earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio 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 Great Western Academy?
None; Great Western Academy is a single-school charter district, and Great Western Academy is its only campus.
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.