Enrollment
130
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Columbus, KS
Highland Elem
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 200507001340
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elem earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Kansas schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Kansas
- 52.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Elem has class sizes larger than 83% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Elem ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Columbus, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.3%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elem
Highland Elem is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Columbus, Kansas, enrolling 130 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 52.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 130 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 126 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #83.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
11.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Columbus's elementary schools, it stands alongside Central Elem (348 students): Highland Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 24.9:1).
Columbus also operates Columbus Junior High and High School (438 students) and Central Elem (348 students) alongside Highland Elem.
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 Highland Elem compares
Highland Elem on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 18% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.3% | ▲ 22% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 130 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
130
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 83% in Kansas - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,501
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus, which includes Highland Elem.
$14,501
Per student
-6%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 70.7%
Federal 6.9%
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 Highland Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Junior High and High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 208
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools in Columbus
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~130 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elem's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus'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 Highland Elem
How many students attend Highland Elem?
Highland Elem has 130 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Columbus, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elem is 16.3:1, which is 18% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Elem?
52.3% of students at Highland Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elem?
Highland Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Highland Elem rank among public schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Elem ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Columbus, KS. 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 Highland Elem a good school?
Highland Elem earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Kansas 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?
Besides Highland Elem, Columbus also operates Columbus Junior High and High School (438 students), Central Elem (348 students), and Park Elem (208 students). See the Columbus 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.