Enrollment
456
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Martinez, GA
South Columbia Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for South Columbia Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130141000610
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Columbia Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Georgia schools.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Martinez · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 49.1%
- free-lunch eligible
South Columbia Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 86% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Columbia Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Martinez, GA.
School address
District: Columbia County · Georgia
NCES ID 130141000610 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.1%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Columbia Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Columbia Elementary School
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational strength
South Columbia Elementary School's enrollment is not at an extreme, but its student-teacher ratio is: it reports fewer students per teacher than most Georgia schools. This is the most distinctive scale-adjusted signal in the federal record. It should be read as staffing capacity, not class size or an academic outcome; the page separately reports attendance, program access, demographics, and district finance so a single favorable ratio does not become an unsupported overall rating.
Need and resources require a component-level read
South Columbia Elementary School falls within the wide middle of the Georgia distribution on both free-meal eligibility and the Resource Investment Index. Neither measure supplies an honest headline by itself. The useful distinctions are in the components: classroom staffing, counselor availability, attendance, gifted-program access, and district spending. Those fields can pull in opposite directions even when the overall percentile looks ordinary.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
South Columbia Elementary School's 26.8% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
South Columbia Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Martinez, Georgia, enrolling 456 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.4:1, South Columbia Elementary School is leaner than roughly 86% of Georgia schools and 21% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.1% lands close to the Georgia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 456 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 294 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #160.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 456 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Martinez's public schools, it stands alongside Stevens Creek Elementary School (759 students): South Columbia Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.4:1 vs 14.1:1).
Columbia County also operates Grovetown High School (2,256 students) and Greenbrier High School (1,935 students) alongside South 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 South Columbia Elementary School compares
South 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 21% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.1% | ▼ 19% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 456 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
456
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 14% in Georgia - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.8%
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
$11,434
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 456 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia County, which includes South 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 South Columbia Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grovetown High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greenbrier High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakeside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Evans High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harlem High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South 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 in Martinez
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~456 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Columbia Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare South 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 South Columbia Elementary School
How many students attend South Columbia Elementary School?
South Columbia Elementary School has 456 students enrolled. It is a public school in Martinez, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Columbia Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Columbia Elementary School is 11.4:1, which is 21% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Columbia Elementary School?
49.1% of students at South Columbia Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Columbia Elementary School?
South Columbia Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does South Columbia Elementary School rank among schools in Martinez?
By Resource Investment Index, South Columbia Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Martinez, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Martinez on the city page.
What other schools are in Columbia County?
Besides South 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 July 2026.