Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Columbia Elementary School

Q: Is Columbia Elementary School a good school?

Columbia Elementary School ranks 613 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

613^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Columbia Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Colorado Springs School District 11, serving 265 students in a predominantly low-income area of Colorado Springs. The school has a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio, which has improved from 16.3:1 two years earlier.

Academically, Columbia currently ranks in the 35th percentile statewide (2 stars), below its district's 43rd percentile ranking. Proficiency rates trail district and state averages: ELA at 33.9%, math at 27.0%, and science at just 19.0% — a sharp drop from 28.9% the previous year. The most striking trend is a long-term decline: Columbia ranked in the 71st–72nd percentile in 2017–2018 and 2018–2019, but has fallen steadily to the mid-30s since then. There is one bright spot: 3rd-grade ELA proficiency is 37%, above the district average of 31.3%, suggesting early reading instruction works. However, those gains fade by 4th and 5th grade, and upper-elementary math and science are especially weak. Compared to nearby schools with comparable poverty, Columbia lags — Bristol Elementary School and Stratton Elementary School both rank in the 70th-plus percentile while serving similar or even more disadvantaged populations.

The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism: 48.3% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, up from 33.9% the year before and nearly 20 points above the statewide rate. Nearby Steele Elementary School has just 14.8% chronic absenteeism. While Columbia outperforms very low-performing nearby schools like Adams Elementary School (ELA 11.6%) and Rogers Elementary (ELA 28.2%), it sits in a low-middle cluster rather than being the most disadvantaged school in the area. The improving student-teacher ratio has not yet translated into test score gains, likely due to high absenteeism. The bottom line: Columbia has a solid foundation in early literacy, and if it can address attendance and stabilize math and science, it has real potential to reverse its downward trajectory.

265

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,732

Per pupil spending ?

66.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

835 East St Vrain Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3146

(719) 328-2700

District: Colorado Springs School District No. 11

Students who attend Columbia Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	North Middle School
High:	Palmer High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.3%

Hispanic:

35.1%

Two or more races:

11.3%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Columbia Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg34%

Colorado avg41%

613^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 34Elementary Schools in the Colorado Springs School District No. 11

66^th of 114Colorado Springs School District No. 11 among Colorado 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	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	613 of 946	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.2	612 of 950	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	596 of 943	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	573 of 933	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	497 of 921	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.2	264 of 710	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.1	277 of 965	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.7	259 of 917	71.8%	★★★★☆
2017	44.9	456 of 929	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.1	442 of 914	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	70.1	243 of 938	74.1%	★★★★☆
2014	68.4	286 of 962	70.3%	★★★★☆
2013	61.4	384 of 954	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.3	456 of 935	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.6	524 of 935	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.1	567 of 925	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.0	542 of 872	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	24.2	679 of 849	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.4	581 of 852	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	23.2	666 of 829	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	30.2	612 of 823	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	8.5	742 of 808	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	476 of 694	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.7	469 of 684	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.3	188 of 758	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	61.9	228 of 690	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	506 of 700	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	515 of 683	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.8	335 of 764	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	245 of 693	64.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	34.4	374 of 539	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	344 of 454	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.0	275 of 596	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.5	63 of 337	81.3%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)31st percentile-4 vs school

White (2024)31st percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)28th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts34%-11 vs state

Math27%-10 vs state

Science19%-17 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Columbia Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Columbia Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Columbia Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

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)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)				CMAS Math (2026)				CMAS Science (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 (2025)	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	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Columbia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	835 East St Vrain Street	Colorado Springs	80903	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-2700	265	20	13.3	66.8%	120 (45.3%)	18 (6.8%)	93 (35.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	30 (11.3%)	30.7	613^th of 946 public elementary schools	35.2%		30.2	612^th of 950 public elementary schools	35.6%	1	37.0	31.1	33.3	33.9	35.4	728.0	721.0	27.0	19.0	$22,732
Queen Palmer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1921 East Yampa Street	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-3200	198	15	12.8	77.3%	72 (36.4%)	15 (7.6%)	84 (42.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	24 (12.1%)	41.9	499^th of 946 public elementary schools	47.3%		44.2	501^st of 950 public elementary schools	47.3%	2	40.7	50.0	42.9	45.0	55.6	24.2	28.6	35.8	14.3	$22,977
Taylor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 East Buena Ventura Street	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-3500	152	14	10.9	75.7%	77 (50.7%)	10 (6.6%)	44 (28.9%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (12.5%)	29.6	628^th of 946 public elementary schools	33.6%					(n/a)	14.3	31.8	45.0	30.2	714.0	716.0	42.1	20.6	21.1	$26,607
Steele Elementary School	Public	K-5	1720 North Weber Street	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-4700	273	18	14.9	25.6%	210 (76.9%)	9 (3.3%)	35 (12.8%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.9%)	62.8	328^th of 946 public elementary schools	65.3%		80.3	171^st of 950 public elementary schools	82.0%	157	20.4	64.0	59.1	47.6	28.6	68.6	54.5	50.7	56.8	$20,304
Bristol Elementary School	Public	K-5	890 North Walnut Street	Colorado Springs	80905	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-4000	267	18	14.4	57.3%	138 (51.7%)	12 (4.5%)	81 (30.3%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (12.0%)	71	256^th of 946 public elementary schools	72.9%		64.2	324^th of 950 public elementary schools	65.9%	68	59.5	68.9	61.7	63.6	50.0	54.5	44.7	49.6	38.3	$20,082
Adams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2101 Manitoba Drive	Colorado Springs	80910	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-2900	299	24	12.5	88.6%	73 (24.4%)	39 (13.0%)	149 (49.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.7%)	5.9	938^th of 946 public elementary schools	0.8%		9.2	902^nd of 950 public elementary schools	5.1%	36	12.8	8.7	13.6	11.6	12.5	8.7	11.4	10.8	703.0	$22,654
Buena Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	924 W Pikes Peak Ave	Colorado Springs	80905	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-4100	194	18	11.0	35.1%	130 (67.0%)	3 (1.5%)	47 (24.2%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.2%)								(n/a)	736.0	66.7		50.9	738.0	57.9		48.3		$27,436
Rogers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	110 South Circle Drive	Colorado Springs	80910	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-3300	267	24	10.9	77.9%	79 (29.6%)	27 (10.1%)	141 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.7%)	26.1	667^th of 946 public elementary schools	29.5%		10.2	883^rd of 950 public elementary schools	7.1%	216	26.3	30.0	28.1	28.2	26.3	35.9	35.5	32.4	18.8	$23,595
James Irwin Elementary School - Howard	Public, Charter	K-5	1801 Howard Avenue	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(719) 302-9100	213	16	13.0	54.9%	96 (45.1%)	23 (10.8%)	70 (32.9%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (8.9%)	18.5	768^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.8%		36.7	561^st of 950 public elementary schools	40.9%	207	27.6	16.7	33.3	26.0	717.0	715.0	716.0	6.4	717.0	$13,611
Stratton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2460 Paseo Road	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-3400	249	22	11.5	49.8%	150 (60.2%)	14 (5.6%)	60 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	23 (9.2%)	77.8	196^th of 946 public elementary schools	79.3%		69.5	272^nd of 950 public elementary schools	71.4%	76	65.8	64.3	66.0	65.4	71.1	52.4	54.0	58.5	40.0	$23,121

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Elementary School

How many students attend Columbia Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 265 students attended Columbia Elementary School.

What district is Columbia Elementary School in?

Colorado Springs School District No. 11

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Elementary School?

Students at Columbia Elementary School are 45% White, 35% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 7% African American.

Is Columbia Elementary School a good school?

Columbia Elementary School ranks 613^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Columbia Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Columbia Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Middle School
High : Palmer High School

Rate Columbia Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

COColorado Elementary School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Colorado Springs, CO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Columbia Elementary School!

Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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