Enrollment
674
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · West Columbia, TX
West Columbia El
Federal NCES profile for West Columbia El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481467000960
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Columbia El earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools.
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Texas
- 52.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 674
- students enrolled
West Columbia El has class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Columbia-Brazoria Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481467000960 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Columbia El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Columbia El
West Columbia El is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in West Columbia, Texas, enrolling 674 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 674 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,375 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,268, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 674 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Columbia-Brazoria Isd spends $10,914 per pupil, 20% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Columbia-Brazoria Isd also operates Columbia H S (885 students) and West Brazos J H (651 students) alongside West Columbia El.
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 West Columbia El compares
West Columbia El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.5% | ▼ 15% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 674 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
674
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 71% in Texas - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.0%
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
$10,914
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
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 674 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 58.2%
Hispanic or Latino 32.3%
African American 5.9%
Two or More 3.0%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 58.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.3, West Columbia El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia-Brazoria Isd, which includes West Columbia El.
$10,914
Per student
-20%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.2%
State 33.9%
Federal 14.9%
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 West Columbia El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Brazos J H | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Barrow El | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wild Peach El | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Brazoria Co J J a E P | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to West Columbia El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 885
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 651
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 4
- Students per teacher
- -
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~674 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Columbia El's federal record.
- Compare West Columbia El against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia-Brazoria Isd'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 West Columbia El
How many students attend West Columbia El?
West Columbia El has 674 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in West Columbia, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Columbia El?
The student-teacher ratio at West Columbia El is 16:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Columbia El?
52.5% of students at West Columbia El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Columbia El?
The largest demographic group at West Columbia El is White at 58.2% of enrollment, in West Columbia, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Columbia El?
West Columbia El has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 West Columbia El a good school?
West Columbia El earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Texas 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 Columbia-Brazoria Isd?
Besides West Columbia El, Columbia-Brazoria Isd also operates Columbia H S (885 students), West Brazos J H (651 students), and Barrow El (360 students). See the Columbia-Brazoria Isd 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.