Enrollment
178
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, OH
Special Education Center
Federal NCES profile for Special Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 390438004432
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Special Education Center earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio schools.
- #6 of 88
- schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 178
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Special Education Center ranks #6 of 88 schools in Columbus, OH.
School address
District: Columbus City Schools District · Ohio
NCES ID 390438004432 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
What stands out at Special Education Center
Special Education Center is a small combined-grade school in Columbus, Ohio, enrolling 178 students.
Enrollment of 178 puts it in the smaller third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 3,574 Ohio schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (52%) and White (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Columbus City Schools District spends $20,324 per pupil, 39% above the Ohio average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Columbus's public schools, it stands alongside Kipp Columbus (1,945 students): Special Education Center is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Columbus City Schools District also operates Northland High School (1,029 students) and Whetstone High School (1,017 students) alongside Special Education Center.
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 Special Education Center compares
Special Education Center on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 178 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
178
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$20,324
per pupil, district-wide
- above Ohio avg of $14,655
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 51.7%
White 27.0%
Two or More 11.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 51.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.9, Special Education Center is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus City Schools District, which includes Special Education Center.
$20,324
Per student
+39%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.4%
State 19.7%
Federal 18.9%
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 Special Education Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northland High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Whetstone High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Briggs High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| South High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Independence High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Special Education Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,029
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,017
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 956
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 873
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Columbus
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Kipp Columbus
Standard public school
1,945 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Great River Connections Academy
Standard public school
1,608 students 26.4:1 students per teacher
South High School
Standard public school
873 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Metro Early College High School
Standard public school
869 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Columbus Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
797 students 17:1 students per teacher
Linden-Mckinley Stem Academy
Standard public school
795 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Special Education Center's federal record.
- Compare Special Education Center against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus City Schools District'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 Special Education Center
How many students attend Special Education Center?
Special Education Center has 178 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, OH.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Special Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Special Education Center is African American at 51.7% of enrollment, in Columbus, OH. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Special Education Center?
Special Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Special Education Center rank among schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Special Education Center ranks #6 of 88 schools in Columbus, OH. 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 Special Education Center a good school?
Special Education Center earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Ohio 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 Columbus City Schools District?
Besides Special Education Center, Columbus City Schools District also operates Northland High School (1,029 students), Whetstone High School (1,017 students), and Briggs High School (956 students). See the Columbus City Schools District 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.