Enrollment
460
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Appling, GA
North Columbia Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for North Columbia Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130141000604
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Columbia Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 14.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 460
- students enrolled
North Columbia Elementary School has class sizes near the Georgia median. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Columbia County · Georgia
NCES ID 130141000604 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.6%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Columbia Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Columbia Elementary School
North Columbia Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Appling, Georgia, enrolling 460 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Georgia median, within a few percentage points of the 14.4:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.6% free-meal eligibility runs 76% below the Georgia average.
Enrollment of 460 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 107 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #76.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 460 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Columbia County also operates Grovetown High School (2,256 students) and Greenbrier High School (1,935 students) alongside North Columbia 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 North Columbia Elementary School compares
North Columbia Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.6% | ▼ 76% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 460 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
460
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 76% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 55% in Georgia - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.6%
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
$11,434
per pupil, district-wide
- below Georgia avg of $13,863
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 460 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 82.4%
African American 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 82.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.1, North Columbia Elementary School is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia County, which includes North Columbia Elementary School.
$11,434
Per student
-18%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.9%
State 45.4%
Federal 10.7%
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 North Columbia Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grovetown High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greenbrier High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakeside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Evans High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlem High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Columbia Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,256
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,935
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,861
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,318
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Georgia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~460 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Columbia Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare North Columbia Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia County'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 North Columbia Elementary School
How many students attend North Columbia Elementary School?
North Columbia Elementary School has 460 students enrolled. It is a public school in Appling, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Columbia Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at North Columbia Elementary School is 14.4:1, which is 0% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Columbia Elementary School?
14.6% of students at North Columbia Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Columbia Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at North Columbia Elementary School is White at 82.4% of enrollment, in Appling, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Columbia Elementary School?
North Columbia Elementary School 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).
Is North Columbia Elementary School a good school?
North Columbia Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median. 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 Columbia County?
Besides North Columbia Elementary School, Columbia County also operates Grovetown High School (2,256 students), Greenbrier High School (1,935 students), and Lakeside High School (1,861 students). See the Columbia County 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.