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Columbus Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

844^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Columbus Elementary is a public elementary school in Appleton, Wisconsin, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 132 students. The school is part of the Appleton Area School District, which is ranked 264 out of 426 school districts in the state.

Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 10.6 and a high per-student spending of $12,460, Columbus Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of Wisconsin elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past 10 school years. The school's academic performance is significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 7.69% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 49.5% for the district and 52.14% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in 5th-grade English Language Arts and Mathematics, with 0% of students proficient or better in both subjects.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Huntley Elementary, Richmond Elementary, and Edison Elementary, Columbus Elementary has significantly higher rates of poverty and special education needs, as well as higher chronic absenteeism rates, which may contribute to its poor academic outcomes. Despite the school's challenges, the underlying factors contributing to its performance may require targeted interventions and support to address the needs of its student population.

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,460

Per pupil spending ?

70.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

913 N Oneida St
Appleton, WI 54911-4910

(920) 852-5450

District: Appleton Area School District

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually attend:

High:

North High

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.9%

Hispanic:

20.5%

African American:

13.6%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Columbus Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 25th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (26% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg53%

Wisconsin avg54%

844^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Appleton Area School District

264^th of 426Appleton Area School District among Wisconsin 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	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	844 of 1044	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	899 of 1061	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	904 of 1067	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	838 of 1067	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.2	751 of 1050	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	921 of 1037	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	909 of 1025	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.0	956 of 1071	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.6	890 of 1075	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	36.5	807 of 1076	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	40.5	758 of 1061	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.1	827 of 1053	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	39.2	821 of 1045	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.1	902 of 1046	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.7	815 of 1045	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	53.3	583 of 1030	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	69.7	287 of 1021	71.9%	★★★★☆
2007	50.8	429 of 689	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	67.4	280 of 712	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	43.8	673 of 1011	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	730 of 1010	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	808 of 1017	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.9	805 of 1004	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	896 of 1002	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	915 of 997	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2019	16.3	812 of 874	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	805 of 854	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	22.8	832 of 1012	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	852 of 1011	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.8	692 of 1017	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.0	621 of 1003	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.2	853 of 1002	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	815 of 997	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	33.3	543 of 790	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.2	154 of 746	79.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	9.7	684 of 715	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	507 of 704	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	618 of 699	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	2.7	712 of 718	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	672 of 686	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2024)33rd percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2024)31st percentile+16 vs school

Male (2024)18th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)7th percentile-4 vs school

White (2023)4th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies75%+11 vs state

Science62%+12 vs state

Mathematics21%-33 vs state

English Language Arts12%-40 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbus Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)					Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)					Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)		Forward Exam Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	913 N Oneida St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5450	88	8	10.7	70.5%	43 (48.9%)	12 (13.6%)	18 (20.5%)	6 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.3%)	7 (8.0%)	24.3	844^th of 1044 public elementary schools	19.2%		18.3	899^th of 1061 public elementary schools	15.3%	55	7.7	37.5	0.0			15.4	62.5	0.0			75.0		62.5		$12,460	$911	$11,549
Appleton Bilingual School	Public, Charter	K-5	912 N Oneida St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5535	139	8	16.4	39.6%	37 (26.6%)	2 (1.4%)	94 (67.6%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	42.3	694^th of 1044 public elementary schools	33.5%		29.8	814^th of 1061 public elementary schools	23.3%	120	55.6	42.1	40.9			66.7	57.9	22.7			52.6		31.6		$11,427	$911	$10,516
Edison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	412 N Meade St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5460	242	24	10.0	50.4%	165 (68.2%)	13 (5.4%)	29 (12.0%)	12 (5.0%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.0%)	41.4	708^th of 1044 public elementary schools	32.2%		38.2	750^th of 1061 public elementary schools	29.3%	42	53.9	45.7	38.9			57.7	39.1	30.6			58.7		54.4		$11,834	$911	$10,923
Franklin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2212 N Jarchow St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5475	277	25	11.1	52.7%	137 (49.5%)	24 (8.7%)	49 (17.7%)	39 (14.1%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	26 (9.4%)	43	681^st of 1044 public elementary schools	34.8%		46.9	655^th of 1061 public elementary schools	38.3%	26	47.9	45.0	41.5			50.0	46.3	47.6			56.1		51.2		$11,597	$911	$10,686
Ronald C Dunlap Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 N Mason St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5455	314	31	10.0	65.6%	131 (41.7%)	33 (10.5%)	46 (14.6%)	58 (18.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (14.0%)	35.4	768^th of 1044 public elementary schools	26.4%		33	795^th of 1061 public elementary schools	25.1%	27	45.8	37.7	39.6			40.7	47.2	37.5			60.4		41.5		$11,409	$911	$10,498
Highlands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2037 N Elinor St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5480	417	42	10.0	60.4%	171 (41.0%)	21 (5.0%)	67 (16.1%)	120 (28.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	34 (8.2%)	15.3	903^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	13.5%		22.4	868^th of 1061 public elementary schools	18.2%	35	31.9	23.0	22.4			33.3	29.5	28.4			39.3		29.5		$11,283	$911	$10,372
Fox River Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1000 S Mason St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 852-5500	150	8	17.8	23.3%	119 (79.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (12.7%)	80.8	148^th of 1044 public elementary schools	85.8%		84.4	96^th of 1061 public elementary schools	91.0%	52	79.2	60.9	85.7	76.9	60.0	91.7	65.2	85.7	61.5	90.0	73.9	80.0	60.9	90.0	$11,105	$911	$10,194
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 S Mason St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5500	212	23	9.3	65.6%	98 (46.2%)	24 (11.3%)	35 (16.5%)	16 (7.5%)	5 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (16.0%)	37.5	752^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	28.0%		37.1	761^st of 1061 public elementary schools	28.3%	9	50.0	53.3	36.7			40.0	40.0	23.3			63.3		46.7		$11,574	$911	$10,663
Huntley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2224 N Ullman St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 852-5495	570	45	12.7	33.2%	401 (70.4%)	9 (1.6%)	51 (8.9%)	63 (11.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.7%)	69	334^th of 1044 public elementary schools	68.0%		72.3	282^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	73.4%	52	45.2	65.6	60.7			54.8	64.4	68.8			77.8		65.6		$11,103	$911	$10,192
The Omolade Academy	Public, Charter	K-3	2224 N Ullman St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(920) 852-5329	23	4	6.5	73.9%	1 (4.3%)	9 (39.1%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (47.8%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus Elementary

What schools do graduates of Columbus Elementary attend?

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : North High

Is Columbus Elementary a good school?

Columbus Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.2% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

How many students attend Columbus Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 88 students attended Columbus Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Columbus Elementary?

Students at Columbus Elementary are 49% White, 20% Hispanic, 14% African American, 8% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

What district is Columbus Elementary in?

Appleton Area School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

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.