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Columbia High School

Public Grades 9-12

311^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 19% of Alabama high schools

Summary

Columbia High School is a public high school in Huntsville, AL, serving 916 students in grades 9-12 within the Huntsville City district. It's one of the smaller comprehensive high schools in the area, and about 57.5% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most encouraging news is that Columbia has made dramatic progress in two critical areas. The graduation rate has climbed from 77.8% in 2022-2023 to 90.6% in 2024-2025, now nearly matching the state average. Even more impressive, chronic absenteeism has plummeted from 34.1% to just 10.1% over the same period—a figure that's now below the state average. This suggests real improvements in school climate and student engagement. However, academic proficiency remains a significant challenge. In 2025-2026, only 7.21% of students were proficient in math, compared to a 30.67% district average, and English proficiency was 20.47% versus the district's 46.49%. While English scores have improved from 7.56% in 2023-2024, math has stayed stubbornly low. The school also spends more per student ($10,661) than nearby higher-performing schools like Huntsville High ($7,531) and Virgil Grissom High ($7,893), yet its overall state ranking has declined to the 19th percentile.

Compared to its closest neighbors, the contrast is stark. Bob Jones High is just 2.47 miles away and ranks in the 96th percentile, while James Clemens High is 5.38 miles away and also ranks in the 96th percentile. Within the Huntsville City district, Columbia trails Lee High and Jemison High on most academic metrics, despite having a lower poverty rate. On a positive note, the school shows relative strength with its special education students (55th percentile) and African American students (45th percentile). The school is clearly in transition—the foundation of better attendance and higher graduation rates is being built, but translating those gains into stronger test scores remains the next big step.

916

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,197

Per pupil spending ?

57.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

300 Explorer Boulevard
Huntsville, AL 35806

(256) 428-7576

District: Huntsville City

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

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.2%

Hispanic:

28.8%

White:

12.8%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare Columbia High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (15% vs 32% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg39%

Alabama avg32%

311^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6High Schools in the Huntsville City

78^th of 140Huntsville City among Alabama 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	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	311 of 386	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.6	303 of 374	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	313 of 378	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	302 of 371	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.8	212 of 367	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.4	269 of 371	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	267 of 366	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.8	260 of 356	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.6	267 of 353	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.1	310 of 351	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.8	277 of 353	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.5	274 of 358	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	47.5	243 of 358	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.3	295 of 358	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.6	245 of 360	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.7	177 of 358	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	44.6	234 of 357	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	61.0	128 of 359	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	32.5	286 of 358	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	54.0	175 of 357	51.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	130 of 238	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.3	121 of 228	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.8	133 of 231	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	151 of 224	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	83.4	26 of 222	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	54.3	68 of 228	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	61.0	65 of 224	71.0%	★★★★☆
2018	50.9	88 of 223	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	39.8	108 of 189	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	63 of 90	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.4	60 of 75	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.6	23 of 63	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	13 of 43	69.8%	★★★★☆
2022	33.3	16 of 39	59.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	78.8	4 of 28	85.7%	★★★★☆
2018	35.8	11 of 22	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	306 of 377	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	301 of 359	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	343 of 366	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	296 of 358	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	262 of 367	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	270 of 359	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	290 of 354	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	255 of 347	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.6	255 of 343	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	46 of 70	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	15.3	127 of 142	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	126 of 139	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	101 of 122	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	103 of 114	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	78 of 113	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.4	63 of 103	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	59 of 95	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.1	45 of 93	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	311 of 383	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.1	349 of 367	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	282 of 375	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	303 of 349	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.3	185 of 361	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	203 of 361	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.1	279 of 358	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	278 of 349	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.9	183 of 315	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	284 of 380	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	279 of 363	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	260 of 368	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	284 of 358	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.6	166 of 366	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.7	243 of 366	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	217 of 357	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	240 of 350	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.5	264 of 339	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	22.8	20 of 27	25.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	11.7	24 of 26	7.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.0	18 of 25	28.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	11.5	12 of 14	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	16 of 18	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	118 of 123	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	57 of 66	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	55 of 56	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	42 of 45	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	37 of 40	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	37 of 43	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	30 of 37	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	18 of 24	25.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.5	15 of 19	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	53 of 57	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	44 of 45	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	88 of 197	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	29.5	142 of 194	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.6	101 of 198	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	143 of 182	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.5	121 of 169	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	65.3	50 of 196	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	29.4	126 of 171	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	130 of 160	18.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	28.6	233 of 320	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.7	293 of 325	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	293 of 325	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	203 of 317	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.2	272 of 326	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	229 of 319	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	281 of 313	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	206 of 300	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.2	167 of 230	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)55th percentile+36 vs school

African American (2026)45th percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2026)34th percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)30th percentile+11 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile+8 vs school

Military Connected (2023)26th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)25th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile~ school

Native American (2025)7th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English20%-13 vs state

Science16%-20 vs state

Mathematics7%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)				Summative Assessment Science (2026)		Summative Assessment English (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	300 Explorer Boulevard	Huntsville	35806	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7576	916	54	16.9	57.5%	117 (12.8%)	469 (51.2%)	264 (28.8%)	7 (0.8%)	5 (0.5%)	6 (0.7%)	48 (5.2%)	21.3	311^th of 386 public high schools	19.4%		18.6	303^rd of 374 public high schools	19.0%	8				7.2		16.3				20.5	$15,197	$1,794	$13,397
Bob Jones High School	Public	9-12	650 Hughes Rd	Madison	35758	Madison County	Madison City	No	No	No	No	(256) 772-2547	2,048	113	18.0	25.4%	1,096 (53.5%)	469 (22.9%)	183 (8.9%)	142 (6.9%)	14 (0.7%)	1 (0.0%)	143 (7.0%)	95.9	16^th of 386 public high schools	95.9%		93.9	22^nd of 374 public high schools	94.1%	6				53.4		61.0				53.3	$12,763	$579	$12,158
James Clemens High School	Public	9-12	11306 County Line Road	Madison	35756	Limestone County	Madison City	No	No	No	No	(256) 216-5313	2,159	121	17.8	23.3%	1,169 (54.1%)	418 (19.4%)	208 (9.6%)	221 (10.2%)	12 (0.6%)	5 (0.2%)	126 (5.8%)	97	15^th of 386 public high schools	96.1%		95.1	16^th of 374 public high schools	95.7%	1				58.4		63.0				55.2	$12,449	$942	$11,481
Jemison High School	Public	9-12	5000 Pulaski Pike	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-8100	858	44	19.4	69.5%	47 (5.5%)	616 (71.8%)	158 (18.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	31 (3.6%)	28.4	276^th of 386 public high schools	28.5%		12.9	343^rd of 374 public high schools	8.3%	67				14.6		19.3				21.3	$16,158	$1,964	$14,191
Huntsville Center For Technology	Public	9-12	2603 Memorial Parkway NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7810				—															(n/a)
Huntsville High School	Public	9-12	2304 Billie Watkins St SW	Huntsville	35801	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-8050	1,807	103	17.5	32.8%	1,068 (59.1%)	458 (25.3%)	149 (8.2%)	28 (1.5%)	13 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	88 (4.9%)	94	19^th of 386 public high schools	95.1%		90.7	30^th of 374 public high schools	92.0%	11				45.8		52.1				65.4	$12,110	$535	$11,570
Lee High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2500 Meridian Street	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	Yes	No	Yes	(256) 428-8150	877	49	18.0	59.7%	143 (16.3%)	576 (65.7%)	116 (13.2%)	3 (0.3%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (3.4%)	36.3	246^th of 386 public high schools	36.3%		40.9	207^th of 374 public high schools	44.7%	39				10.1		22.9				32.2	$15,620	$2,056	$13,560
New Century Technology High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2500 Meridian Street NW	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	Yes	No	No	(256) 428-7800	366	27	13.5	20.8%	176 (48.1%)	106 (29.0%)	54 (14.8%)	12 (3.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	100	3^rd of 386 public high schools	99.2%		99.8	4^th of 374 public high schools	98.9%	1				75.3		82.7				90.1	$13,500	$487	$13,008
Sparkman High School	Public	9-12	2616 Jeff Rd	Harvest	35749	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	No	(256) 837-0331	1,770	88	20.1	36.6%	777 (43.9%)	632 (35.7%)	175 (9.9%)	33 (1.9%)	54 (3.1%)	7 (0.4%)	92 (5.2%)	80.4	59^th of 386 public high schools	84.7%		88.4	37^th of 374 public high schools	90.1%	22				34.7		42.9				47.2	$10,072	$725	$9,329
East Limestone High School	Public	6-12	15641 E Limestone Rd	Athens	35613	Limestone County	Limestone County	No	No	No	No	(256) 233-6660	1,216	63	19.2	34.0%	775 (63.7%)	261 (21.5%)	97 (8.0%)	26 (2.1%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	52 (4.3%)	84.1	47^th of 386 public high schools	87.8%		63.7	114^th of 374 public high schools	69.5%	67	41.6	38.9	45.6	38.8	60.4	53.3	71.4	72.5	60.4	40.3	$11,595	$722	$10,864

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia High School

What is the racial makeup of Columbia High School?

Students at Columbia High School are 51% African American, 29% Hispanic, 13% White, 5% Two or more races.

Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks in the bottom 19.4% of Alabama high schools.

How many students attend Columbia High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 916 students attended Columbia High School.

What district is Columbia High School in?

Huntsville City

What schools feed into Columbia High School?

Columbia High School is fed by the following schools:

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

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 9, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataNewNov 8, 2026

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

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.