Is Columbia Central School a good school?

Columbia Central School ranks 729 th of 1363 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Columbia Central School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 592 students attended Columbia Central School.

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Central School?

Students at Columbia Central School are 40% Hispanic, 31% African American, 19% White, 9% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Columbia Central School attend?

Students who attend Columbia Central School usually go on to attend Bloom Trail High School

Columbia Central School

Summary:

Columbia Central School is a public middle school located in Steger, Illinois, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 616 students. The school is part of the Steger School District 194, which is ranked 622 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbia Central School faces significant challenges in academic performance, with consistently low rankings and test scores compared to the state average. The school's performance on standardized tests is below the state average, with only 49% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 9.4% proficient or better in Mathematics. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with relatively better performance for African American and Hispanic students, but lower performance for White, Multi-racial, English Language Learners, and Special Education students. Additionally, the school has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 11.7% in 2019-2020 to 40.0% in 2021-2022.

Comparing Columbia Central School to nearby schools, such as Brookwood Middle School, Brookwood Junior High School, and O.W. Huth Middle School, reveals that these schools also perform below the state average on academic measures, with similar or lower rankings compared to Columbia Central School. However, some nearby schools, like Chicago Heights Middle School and Crete-Monee Middle School, have slightly higher academic performance and rankings compared to Columbia Central School.

Detail:

Public 5-8

94 Richton Rd
Steger, IL 60475-1821

(708) 753-4700

District: Steger School District 194

SchoolDigger Rank:
729^th of 1,363 Illinois Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,854

Students who attend Columbia Central School usually attend:

High:

Bloom Trail High School

Feeder schools for Columbia Central School:

Elementary:	Steger Intermediate Center
	Steger Primary Center

Student/teacher ratio: 15.1

Number of students: 592

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.4%

African American:

30.6%

White:

19.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 80.7%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Columbia Central School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Columbia Central School ranks worse than 53.5% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 41.04. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Student population at Columbia Central School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (40.4%), African American (30.6%), White (19.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 80.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Columbia Central School is 15.1. (See more...)

Compare Columbia Central School employs 39 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Columbia Central School is $17,854.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Columbia Central School:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbia Central School 729^th of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Columbia Central School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Steger School District 194:

SchoolDigger ranks Steger School District 194 622^nd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Columbia Central School

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Rank History for all students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	36.71	803^rd	1185	32.2%
2004	30.92	883^rd	1204	26.7%
2005	45.55	755^th	1209	37.6%
2006	44.17	826^th	1272	35.1%
2007	39.76	893^rd	1287	30.6%
2008	46.23	810^th	1293	37.4%
2009	46.22	828^th	1318	37.2%
2010	44.91	860^th	1327	35.2%
2011	35.80	979^th	1344	27.2%
2012	30.77	1042^nd	1365	23.7%
2013	31.24	1003^rd	1367	26.6%
2014	32.54	944^th	1322	28.6%
2015	27.90	932^nd	1302	28.4%
2016	21.86	1062^nd	1294	17.9%
2017	29.85	906^th	1293	29.9%
2018	35.64	805^th	1293	37.7%
2019	33.13	887^th	1356	34.6%
2021	28.11	865^th	1241	30.3%
2022	24.86	1005^th	1369	26.6%
2023	29.46	924^th	1367	32.4%
2024	41.04	729^th	1363	46.5%

See the entire list of Illinois Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	35.29	104^th	164	36.6%
2019	34.01	113^th	179	36.9%
2022	15.72	175^th	195	10.3%
2023	20.66	156^th	194	19.6%
2024	38.03	101^st	184	45.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	53.22	94^th	339	72.3%
2021	40.91	159^th	277	42.6%
2022	47.90	163^rd	454	64.1%
2023	33.50	349^th	480	27.3%
2024	39.12	277^th	486	43.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	24.79	496^th	602	17.6%
2019	26.59	662^nd	792	16.4%
2021	31.41	389^th	548	29.0%
2022	31.31	565^th	781	27.7%
2023	33.33	503^rd	805	37.5%
2024	43.32	371^st	802	53.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	46.12	581^st	1161	50.0%
2019	41.87	690^th	1217	43.3%
2021	44.68	509^th	1019	50.0%
2022	33.89	798^th	1221	34.6%
2023	42.46	666^th	1234	46.0%
2024	49.60	524^th	1219	57.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.74	741^st	1226	39.6%
2019	31.34	894^th	1276	29.9%
2021	24.44	778^th	1017	23.5%
2022	25.57	940^th	1286	26.9%
2023	33.78	801^st	1275	37.2%
2024	39.67	706^th	1251	43.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.33	552^nd	674	18.1%
2024	47.14	253^rd	639	60.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.73	759^th	1223	37.9%
2019	34.87	808^th	1296	37.7%
2021	27.59	755^th	1048	28.0%
2022	25.06	955^th	1286	25.7%
2023	25.56	954^th	1292	26.2%
2024	41.51	654^th	1264	48.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	64.63	121^st	511	76.3%
2019	58.06	162^nd	565	71.3%
2021	48.54	145^th	385	62.3%
2022	40.97	282^nd	573	50.8%
2023	43.45	282^nd	569	50.4%
2024	53.69	189^th	548	65.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.15	382^nd	590	35.3%
2019	35.90	412^th	639	35.5%
2021	39.34	301^st	517	41.8%
2022	29.40	489^th	662	26.1%
2023	34.89	429^th	661	35.1%
2024	42.72	322^nd	643	49.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Columbia Central School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	22.79	735^th	889	17.3%
2019	19.29	770^th	905	14.9%
2021	23.05	644^th	813	20.8%
2022	18.63	779^th	898	13.3%
2023	25.90	708^th	895	20.9%
2024	42.08	491^st	875	43.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board 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.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, March 12, 2012

My son loves Columbia Central, of the surrounding schools, this one had so many different activites and it rewards those children who are not trouble markers and who are honor students. Being smart here is a good thing, and almost no bullying... I have a smart and short kid, and he excels here at Columbia Close Quote

Enrollment information for Columbia Central School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	263	16	1	22	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	302
1990	282	19	1	35	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	337
1991	266	20	2	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	309
1992	251	19	0	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
1993	272	19	0	30	0	n/a	n/a	0	321
1994	264	19	2	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
1995	227	19	0	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	288
1996	227	19	0	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	288
1997	261	27	1	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	318
1998	219	34	4	43	1	n/a	n/a	0	301
1999	246	21	2	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	298
2000	253	22	2	41	0	n/a	n/a	0	318
2001	237	34	1	43	1	n/a	n/a	0	316
2002	232	47	4	37	5	n/a	n/a	0	325
2003	232	47	4	37	5	n/a	n/a	0	325
2004	242	50	5	53	0	n/a	n/a	0	350
2005	220	66	3	59	2	n/a	n/a	0	350
2006	343	88	3	63	1	n/a	n/a	61	559
2007	335	120	6	64	1	n/a	n/a	63	589
2008	310	126	4	61	0	n/a	n/a	61	562
2009	261	134	6	86	1	n/a	n/a	48	536
2010	280	129	7	101	1	n/a	n/a	45	563
2011	260	124	4	110	1	3	36	0	538
2012	263	132	3	108	1	4	49	0	560
2013	241	109	5	112	0	2	36	0	505
2014	226	124	6	115	1	2	41	0	515
2015	260	156	5	154	1	0	58	0	634
2016	221	166	6	158	2	0	50	0	603
2017	215	167	4	171	0	0	60	0	617
2018	202	181	7	181	0	1	72	0	644
2019	189	178	6	201	0	1	76	0	651
2020	182	182	3	233	0	1	80	0	681
2021	159	170	2	237	0	2	67	0	637
2022	154	189	0	228	0	0	62	0	633
2023	139	185	1	233	0	1	57	0	616
2024	114	181	1	239	0	1	56	0	592

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 Central School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	302	20.4	14.8	n/a
1990	337	21.2	15.8	n/a
1991	309	19.7	15.6	n/a
1992	295	20.3	14.5	n/a
1993	321	21.6	14.9	n/a
1994	319	21.7	14.7	n/a
1995	288	21.4	13.5	n/a
1996	288	21.4	13.5	n/a
1997	318	22.5	14.1	n/a
1998	301	22.0	13.7	n/a
1999	298	22.0	13.5	n/a
2000	318	21.0	15.1	n/a
2001	316	20.0	15.8	n/a
2002	325	24.0	13.5	34.5
2003	325	24.0	13.5	34.5
2004	350	26.0	13.5	40.3
2005	350	26.0	13.5	41.4
2006	559	40.0	14.0	46.8
2007	589	38.0	15.5	47.5
2008	562	38.0	14.8	50.1
2009	536	42.7	12.6	57.8
2010	563	46.0	12.2	68.7
2011	538	41.0	13.1	66.2
2012	560	40.6	13.7	67.1
2013	505	59.8	8.4	66.7
2014	515	44.6	11.5	76.5
2015	634	49.0	12.9	73.8
2016	603	52.0	11.5	75.8
2017	617	51.4	11.9	71.5
2018	644	50.9	12.6	72.5
2019	651	51.0	12.7	76.5
2020	681	53.0	12.8	75.3
2021	637	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	633	49.1	12.8	78.7
2023	616	40.0	15.4	84.3
2024	592	39.0	15.1	80.7

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 Central School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	302	20.4	14.8	n/a
1990	337	21.2	15.8	n/a
1991	309	19.7	15.6	n/a
1992	295	20.3	14.5	n/a
1993	321	21.6	14.9	n/a
1994	319	21.7	14.7	n/a
1995	288	21.4	13.5	n/a
1996	288	21.4	13.5	n/a
1997	318	22.5	14.1	n/a
1998	301	22.0	13.7	n/a
1999	298	22.0	13.5	n/a
2000	318	21.0	15.1	n/a
2001	316	20.0	15.8	n/a
2002	325	24.0	13.5	34.5
2003	325	24.0	13.5	34.5
2004	350	26.0	13.5	40.3
2005	350	26.0	13.5	41.4
2006	559	40.0	14.0	46.8
2007	589	38.0	15.5	47.5
2008	562	38.0	14.8	50.1
2009	536	42.7	12.6	57.8
2010	563	46.0	12.2	68.7
2011	538	41.0	13.1	66.2
2012	560	40.6	13.7	67.1
2013	505	59.8	8.4	66.7
2014	515	44.6	11.5	76.5
2015	634	49.0	12.9	73.8
2016	603	52.0	11.5	75.8
2017	617	51.4	11.9	71.5
2018	644	50.9	12.6	72.5
2019	651	51.0	12.7	76.5
2020	681	53.0	12.8	75.3
2021	637	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	633	49.1	12.8	78.7
2023	616	40.0	15.4	84.3
2024	592	39.0	15.1	80.7

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.

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