Columbia High School

Summary:

Columbia High School is a public high school located in Huntsville, Alabama, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 954. The school is part of the Huntsville City School District, which is ranked 83 out of 137 districts in Alabama and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbia High School has a significantly higher percentage of minority students compared to the surrounding schools, with 53.46% African American and 26.73% Hispanic students. The school consistently underperforms academically, with only 7.82% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 30.95% at Virgil Grissom High School, 43.29% at Huntsville High School, and 48.77% at James Clemens High School. Columbia High School has a low statewide ranking, consistently placing in the bottom third of Alabama high schools, and has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 49.9%.

The data reveals significant racial disparities in academic performance at Columbia High School, with the school's African American students ranking 26th out of 222 Alabama high schools, while the Hispanic students ranked 103rd out of 114 high schools. The school has also seen a decline in its student population and a shift in its racial makeup, with a decrease in the percentage of White students and an increase in the percentage of African American and Hispanic students. These challenges highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve educational outcomes for the diverse student population at Columbia High School.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 300 Explorer Boulevard
       Huntsville, AL  35806


(256) 428-7576

District: Huntsville City

SchoolDigger Rank:
313th of 378 Alabama High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,661 Help


Feeder schools for Columbia High School:

Elementary:    Morris Elementary School
    Providence Elementary
    Ridgecrest Elementary School
    Williams Elementary School
Middle:    Morris Middle School
    Williams Middle School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.7 Help
Number of students:  940

Racial breakdown:

African American:
52.2%
Hispanic:
28.1%
White:
12.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  49.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Columbia High School ranks worse than 82.8% of high schools in Alabama. It also ranks last among 6 ranked high schools in the Huntsville City School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.95. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Columbia High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Columbia High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (52.2%), Hispanic (28.1%), White (12.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 49.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Columbia High School is 16.7, which is the 2nd best among 6 high schools in the Huntsville City School District. (See more...)
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Compare Columbia High School employs 56.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Columbia High School is $10,661, which is the 3rd highest among 6 high schools in the Huntsville City School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Columbia High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbia High School 313th of 378 Alabama public high schools. (See Columbia High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Huntsville City:

SchoolDigger ranks Huntsville City 83rd of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Columbia High School

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Rank History for all students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 54.03 175th 357 51.0%
2007 32.48 286th 358 20.1%
2008 60.98 128th 359 64.3%
2009 44.65 234th 357 34.5%
2010 54.70 177th 358 50.6%
2011 43.61 245th 360 31.9%
2012 31.26 295th 358 17.6%
2013 47.48 243rd 358 32.1%
2014 27.46 274th 358 23.5%
2015 23.82 277th 353 21.5%
2016 13.06 310th 351 11.7%
2017 25.57 267th 353 24.4%
2018 29.79 260th 356 27.0%
2019 27.66 267th 366 27.0%
2021 28.35 269th 371 27.5%
2022 38.76 212th 367 42.2%
2023 20.79 302nd 371 18.6%
2024 17.95 313th 378 17.2%
See the entire list of Alabama High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 36.55 15th 19 21.1%
2018 34.22 18th 24 25.0%
2019 17.06 30th 37 18.9%
2021 16.62 37th 43 14.0%
2022 8.80 37th 40 7.5%
2023 12.29 42nd 45 6.7%
2024 6.97 55th 56 1.8%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.75 11th 22 50.0%
2021 78.79 4th 28 85.7%
2022 33.30 16th 39 59.0%
2023 55.99 13th 43 69.8%
2024 46.61 23rd 63 63.5%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 19.96 130th 160 18.8%
2019 29.39 126th 171 26.3%
2021 65.29 50th 196 74.5%
2022 29.51 121st 169 28.4%
2023 26.17 143rd 182 21.4%
2024 42.56 101st 198 49.0%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 40.91 183rd 315 41.9%
2018 20.68 278th 349 20.3%
2019 24.15 279th 358 22.1%
2021 41.22 203rd 361 43.8%
2022 44.33 185th 361 48.8%
2023 18.08 303rd 349 13.2%
2024 26.17 282nd 375 24.8%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 25.61 255th 343 25.7%
2018 27.97 255th 347 26.5%
2019 19.18 290th 354 18.1%
2021 24.46 270th 359 24.8%
2022 29.05 262nd 367 28.6%
2023 19.43 296th 358 17.3%
2024 11.11 343rd 366 6.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 14.31 16th 18 11.1%
2019 11.46 12th 14 14.3%
2021 31.97 18th 25 28.0%
2022 11.66 24th 26 7.7%
2023 22.81 20th 27 25.9%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 25.46 264th 339 22.1%
2018 32.55 240th 350 31.4%
2019 37.26 217th 357 39.2%
2021 32.72 243rd 366 33.6%
2022 48.61 166th 366 54.6%
2023 21.81 284th 358 20.7%
2024 27.12 260th 368 29.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 39.79 108th 189 42.9%
2018 50.92 88th 223 60.5%
2019 60.97 65th 224 71.0%
2021 54.32 68th 228 70.2%
2022 83.37 26th 222 88.3%
2023 32.05 151st 224 32.6%
2024 36.84 133rd 231 42.4%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 41.06 45th 93 51.6%
2018 35.48 59th 95 37.9%
2019 35.38 63rd 103 38.8%
2021 30.64 78th 113 31.0%
2022 15.47 103rd 114 9.6%
2023 22.67 101st 122 17.2%
2024 17.37 126th 139 9.4%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 15.63 44th 45 2.2%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Columbia High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 27.23 167th 230 27.4%
2018 33.51 206th 300 31.3%
2019 16.61 281st 313 10.2%
2021 28.27 229th 319 28.2%
2022 22.19 272nd 326 16.6%
2023 32.74 203rd 317 36.0%
2024 17.14 293rd 325 9.8%
See the entire list of Best Alabama High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Alabama State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Columbia High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Columbia High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2006 110 201 10 16 3 n/a n/a 0 340
2007 147 259 13 21 5 n/a n/a 0 445
2008 178 297 19 35 7 n/a n/a 0 536
2009 198 349 20 30 6 n/a n/a 0 603
2010 204 415 21 39 5 n/a n/a 2 686
2011 192 443 22 49 8 0 4 0 718
2012 168 455 18 39 7 1 7 0 695
2013 147 458 12 34 7 1 15 0 674
2014 134 460 16 41 9 2 22 0 684
2015 137 488 17 60 10 3 43 0 758
2016 157 579 11 157 9 8 72 0 993
2017 147 548 8 165 10 5 67 0 950
2018 137 522 8 163 7 3 74 0 914
2019 132 454 8 177 7 6 66 0 850
2020 144 445 4 192 9 8 67 0 869
2021 138 451 5 214 10 9 71 0 898
2022 134 528 27 234 15 12 0 0 950
2023 114 510 14 255 5 6 50 0 954
2024 118 491 12 264 7 4 44 0 940

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Columbia High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2006 340 16.0 21.3 38.5
2007 445 31.0 14.4 44.3
2008 536 40.3 13.3 n/a
2009 603 40.9 14.6 31.2
2010 686 47.2 14.5 38.6
2011 718 43.3 16.5 42.9
2012 695 46.9 14.8 42.9
2013 674 49.3 13.6 49.4
2014 684 42.8 15.9 50
2015 758 46.0 16.4 27.8
2016 993 61.0 16.2 35
2017 950 61.3 15.4 38.9
2018 914 59.3 15.4 49.9
2019 850 58.0 14.6 49.9
2020 869 55.0 15.8 49.8
2021 898 55.0 16.3 49.9
2022 950 51.9 18.2 49.9
2023 954 53.9 17.6 49.9
2024 940 56.1 16.7 49.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Columbia High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2006 340 16.0 21.3 38.5
2007 445 31.0 14.4 44.3
2008 536 40.3 13.3 n/a
2009 603 40.9 14.6 31.2
2010 686 47.2 14.5 38.6
2011 718 43.3 16.5 42.9
2012 695 46.9 14.8 42.9
2013 674 49.3 13.6 49.4
2014 684 42.8 15.9 50
2015 758 46.0 16.4 27.8
2016 993 61.0 16.2 35
2017 950 61.3 15.4 38.9
2018 914 59.3 15.4 49.9
2019 850 58.0 14.6 49.9
2020 869 55.0 15.8 49.8
2021 898 55.0 16.3 49.9
2022 950 51.9 18.2 49.9
2023 954 53.9 17.6 49.9
2024 940 56.1 16.7 49.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Columbia High School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $882 (8.3%) $9,778 (91.7%) $10,661

Data source: Alabama Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Columbia High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 267th of 366 High schoolsRanks 302nd of 371 High schools
 8.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Mathematics (Columbia High School)25.514.1
 11.5%
   End of Course Mathematics (Huntsville City)47.728.6
 19%
   End of Course Mathematics (Alabama)42.523.6
 19%
End of Course Science (Columbia High School)27.720.8
 6.9%
   End of Course Science (Huntsville City)49.839.7
 10.2%
   End of Course Science (Alabama)42.631.7
 10.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students850954
 12.2%
African American454510
 12.3%
American Indian75
 28.6%
Asian814
 75%
Hispanic177255
 44.1%
Pacific Islander66
White132114
 13.6%
Two or More Races6650
 24.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients49.9%49.9%
 0%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia High School

Columbia High School ranks in the bottom 17.2% of Alabama high schools.

Students at Columbia High School are 52% African American, 28% Hispanic, 13% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

In the 2023-24 school year, 940 students attended Columbia High School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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