Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, IN

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Lillian Schmitt Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180036000071
0/100100/10025/100
👥 S:T ratio
30
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.

#10 of 10
schools in Columbus · Resource Index
25
Resource Index · Lower
17.6:1
large classes for Indiana
69.3%
free-lunch eligible

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School has class sizes larger than 77% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lillian Schmitt Elementary School ranks #10 of 10 schools in Columbus, IN.

Enrollment

704

Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

40.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.6:1

vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg

+11% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

69.3%

vs 49.5% Indiana avg

+40% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Lillian Schmitt Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Lillian Schmitt Elementary School

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbus, Indiana, enrolling 704 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.3% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 704 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,862 Indiana schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 280 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #247, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 60/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 704 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Among Columbus's public schools, it stands alongside Southside Elementary School (891 students): Lillian Schmitt Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.6:1 vs 18.6:1).

Bartholomew Con School Corp also operates Columbus North High School (2,360 students) and Columbus East High School (1,452 students) alongside Lillian Schmitt Elementary 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 Lillian Schmitt Elementary School compares

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Indiana Indiana avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.6:1 ▲ 11% 15.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 69.3% ▲ 40% 49.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 704 top 18% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
704
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
69.3%
free-lunch eligible - 40% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher - 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Indiana - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.9%
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
$11,632
per pupil, district-wide - below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 704 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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.

Student demographics

White 58.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.9%
Two or More 11.6%
African American 7.0%
Asian 1.6%

Largest group: White at 58.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 59.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, Lillian Schmitt Elementary School is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bartholomew Con School Corp, which includes Lillian Schmitt Elementary School.

$11,632
Per student
-4%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.5%
State 52.0%
Federal 12.5%

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.

How Lillian Schmitt Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Columbus North High School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Columbus East High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Northside Middle School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Southside Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Central Middle School Similar size Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Lillian Schmitt Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Bartholomew Con School Corp · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Columbus

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Lillian Schmitt Elementary School's federal record.

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 Lillian Schmitt Elementary School

How many students attend Lillian Schmitt Elementary School?

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School has 704 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, IN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lillian Schmitt Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Lillian Schmitt Elementary School is 17.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lillian Schmitt Elementary School?

69.3% of students at Lillian Schmitt Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lillian Schmitt Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Lillian Schmitt Elementary School is White at 58.0% of enrollment, in Columbus, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lillian Schmitt Elementary School?

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Lillian Schmitt Elementary School rank among schools in Columbus?

By Resource Investment Index, Lillian Schmitt Elementary School ranks #10 of 10 schools in Columbus, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbus on the city page.

Is Lillian Schmitt Elementary School a good school?

Lillian Schmitt Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana 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 Bartholomew Con School Corp?

Besides Lillian Schmitt Elementary School, Bartholomew Con School Corp also operates Columbus North High School (2,360 students), Columbus East High School (1,452 students), and Northside Middle School (908 students). See the Bartholomew Con School Corp district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.