Enrollment
367
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Catawissa, PA
Southern Columbia Ms
Federal NCES profile for Southern Columbia Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 422226000558
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Columbia Ms earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Catawissa · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.7:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 21.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Columbia Ms has class sizes larger than 72% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Columbia Ms ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Catawissa, PA.
School address
District: Southern Columbia Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422226000558 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+8% 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
What stands out at Southern Columbia Ms
Southern Columbia Ms is a mid-sized elementary school in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, enrolling 367 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.9% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the Pennsylvania average.
Enrollment of 367 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 371 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #355, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Catawissa's elementary schools, it stands alongside Hartman El Ctr (480 students): Southern Columbia Ms is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.7:1 vs 13.3:1).
Southern Columbia Area Sd also operates Hartman El Ctr (480 students) and Southern Columbia Hs (348 students) alongside Southern Columbia Ms.
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 Southern Columbia Ms compares
Southern Columbia Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.7:1 | ▲ 8% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.9% | ▼ 62% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
367
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
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
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 72% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
33.0%
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
$16,372
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, Southern Columbia Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Columbia Area Sd, which includes Southern Columbia Ms.
$16,372
Per student
-9%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Southern Columbia Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartman El Ctr | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southern Columbia Hs | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Columbia Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 348
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar elementary schools in Catawissa
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 Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~367 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Columbia Ms's federal record.
- Compare Southern Columbia Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Columbia Area Sd'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 Southern Columbia Ms
How many students attend Southern Columbia Ms?
Southern Columbia Ms has 367 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Catawissa, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Columbia Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Columbia Ms is 14.7:1, which is 8% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Catawissa, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Columbia Ms?
Southern Columbia Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Southern Columbia Ms rank among public schools in Catawissa?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Columbia Ms ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Catawissa, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Catawissa on the city page.
Is Southern Columbia Ms a good school?
Southern Columbia Ms earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania 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 Southern Columbia Area Sd?
Besides Southern Columbia Ms, Southern Columbia Area Sd also operates Hartman El Ctr (480 students) and Southern Columbia Hs (348 students). See the Southern Columbia Area Sd 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.