Enrollment
367
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 422226000558
Southern Columbia Ms — Catawissa, PA
Federal NCES profile for Southern Columbia Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 18
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Southern Columbia Area Sd · Pennsylvania
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Columbia Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Southern Columbia Ms reports 367 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% below the Pennsylvania average and 58% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 367 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southern Columbia Area Sd spends $19,006 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 59.0% from local sources (property taxes), 36.3% from the state, and 4.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Southern Columbia Ms compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.9% | ▼ 62% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 34% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
21.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 86% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,006
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 367 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 367 Top 34% in Pennsylvania — larger than 66% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.9% -62% vs state
NCES ID 422226000558
Student demographics
White 94.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 367:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.0%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Columbia Area Sd, which includes Southern Columbia Ms.
$19,006
Per student
-16%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 59.0%
State 36.3%
Federal 4.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar elementary schools in Catawissa
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Southern Columbia Ms
How many students attend Southern Columbia Ms?
Southern Columbia Ms has 367 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Catawissa, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Columbia Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Columbia Ms is 16:1, which is 19% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern Columbia Ms?
21.9% of students at Southern Columbia Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Columbia Ms?
The largest demographic group at Southern Columbia Ms is White at 94.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Catawissa, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Columbia Ms?
Southern Columbia Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.