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Columbia High School

Q: Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks 445 th of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

445^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 838 Florida High Schools

Better than 47% of Florida high schools

Summary

Columbia High School in Lake City, FL, is a large public high school serving 1,711 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Columbia County School District. The school has consistently received a 2-star rating from Schooldigger over the past decade, placing it in the lower half of Florida high schools.

The most significant challenge facing Columbia High is an extremely high rate of chronic absenteeism, with 52.9% of students chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year. This is dramatically higher than the state average of 31.4% and notably worse than nearby Union County High School (32.5%) and Fort White High School (46.8%), which is in the same district. Academic performance is uneven, with Algebra 1 proficiency at just 14%—far below the district average of 58% and the state average of 63%. However, the school performs better in other subjects, with 71% of students proficient in US History and 63% in Biology 1. There is also a positive trend in English Language Arts, with 10th-grade FAST proficiency improving from 42% to 55% over recent years.

Despite these academic struggles, Columbia High maintains a respectable graduation rate of 89.3%, only slightly below the state average of 92.2%. The school operates with a higher student-teacher ratio of 22.9:1 compared to Fort White (16.9:1) and Union County (15.2:1), and spends less per student ($8,413) than those nearby schools. This combination of high absenteeism, larger class sizes, and lower spending per student suggests the school faces significant resource challenges that impact student learning, particularly in math. The comparison to Fort White High School, just 15 miles away in the same district, highlights that these challenges are not uniform across the area and that school-level factors are making a tangible difference.

1,711

Students ?

22.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,413

Per pupil spending ?

44.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

469 SE Fighting Tiger Dr
Lake City, FL 32025

(386) 755-8080

District: Columbia

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.7%

African American:

30.2%

Hispanic:

7.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 44th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (57% vs 64% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (53% vs 31% Florida)

!Algebra 1 scores 49 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg60%

Florida avg64%

445^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4High Schools in the Columbia

36^th of 70Columbia among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	445 of 838	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.5	479 of 844	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	438 of 807	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.8	435 of 792	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	423 of 774	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	412 of 746	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	392 of 734	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.3	412 of 716	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.3	445 of 714	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.8	389 of 693	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.1	449 of 687	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.5	378 of 648	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.2	319 of 606	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.5	290 of 622	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.4	262 of 620	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.4	285 of 587	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.6	262 of 577	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	54.5	260 of 563	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.9	268 of 477	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.4	260 of 487	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	51.5	261 of 484	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

US History71%-3 vs state

Biology 163%-11 vs state

English Language Arts55%-5 vs state

Geometry44%-12 vs state

Algebra 114%-49 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)					FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	469 SE Fighting Tiger Dr	Lake City	32025	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	No	(386) 755-8080	1,711	74	22.9	44.8%	918 (53.7%)	516 (30.2%)	134 (7.8%)	34 (2.0%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (6.1%)	42	445^th of 838 public high schools	46.9%		38.5	479^th of 844 public high schools	43.2%	34				56.0	55.0					14.0	44.0	63.0	71.0		$8,413	$726	$7,687
Columbia Virtual Franchise	Public, Virtual	6-12	372 W Duval St	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	Yes	No	(352) 758-4935	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Columbia Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)	Public, Virtual	9-12	372 W Duval St	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	Yes	No	(386) 755-8053	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	11.7	699^th of 838 public high schools	16.6%					(n/a)		53.0	28.0	50.0	28.0		50.0	15.0	21.0	22.0	6.0	30.0	48.0	44.0
Pathways Academy	Public	6-12	1301 NW Labonte Ln	Lake City	32055	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	No	(386) 755-8296	94	6	15.6	77.7%	45 (47.9%)	35 (37.2%)	5 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	8 (8.5%)	1.9	801^st of 838 public high schools	4.4%		2.5	790^th of 844 public high schools	6.4%	11	30.0	0.0	0.0	20.0			8.0	7.0		0.0				7.0	$20,983	$1,351	$19,633
Fort White High School	Public	6-12	17828 SW State Road 47	Fort White	32038	Columbia County	Columbia	No	No	No	No	(386) 319-7272	1,101	65	16.9	46.3%	792 (71.9%)	95 (8.6%)	126 (11.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (7.7%)	42.4	439^th of 838 public high schools	47.6%		44.8	398^th of 844 public high schools	52.8%	41	52.0	59.0	59.0	51.0	61.0	45.0	61.0	24.0	74.0	42.0	60.0	77.0	72.0	66.0	$11,082	$949	$10,133
Union Virtual Franchise	Public, Virtual	6-12	55 SW 6th St	Lake Butler	32054	Union County	Union	No	No	Yes	No	(352) 448-5145	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Union County High School	Public	9-12	1000 S Lake Ave	Lake Butler	32054	Union County	Union	No	No	No	No	(352) 448-5204	606	40	15.2	38.8%	470 (77.6%)	85 (14.0%)	28 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.3%)	56.4	267^th of 838 public high schools	68.1%		52.2	304^th of 844 public high schools	64.0%	37				70.0	65.0					50.0	49.0	74.0	85.0		$13,018	$630	$12,389

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia High School

What schools feed into Columbia High School?

Columbia High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Eastside Elementary School
Elementary : Five Points Elementary School
Elementary : Melrose Park Elementary School
Elementary : Pinemount Elementary School
Elementary : Summers Elementary School
Elementary : Westside Elementary School
Middle : Lake City Middle School
Middle : Richardson Sixth Grade Academy

What is the racial makeup of Columbia High School?

Students at Columbia High School are 54% White, 30% African American, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Columbia High School in?

Columbia

How many students attend Columbia High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,711 students attended Columbia High School.

Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks 445^th of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate 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 Florida 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.