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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

Columbia Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1166^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Columbia Elementary School in Decatur, GA, serves approximately 364 students in grades PK-5 within the DeKalb County school district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 5-11% of Georgia elementary schools over the past decade, with its most recent ranking at the 5th percentile statewide.

Academic performance at Columbia Elementary lags significantly behind district and state averages across most subjects. In the latest testing cycle, 3rd grade math proficiency was 18.2% (compared to 35.9% district and 48.3% state), while 5th grade math was just 13.1% (district: 31.7%, state: 44.1%). The 4th grade math score of 30.6% stands out as a relative bright spot—the closest the school comes to district proficiency levels. Science performance is particularly concerning, with only 6.6% of 5th graders proficient versus 30.4% district-wide. When compared to nearby schools, Canby Lane Elementary School shows notably stronger 5th grade math (31.6% vs. 13.1%) and science (25% vs. 6.6%), while Bob Mathis Elementary School outperforms Columbia in 3rd grade math (30.8% vs. 18.2%). Snapfinger Elementary School performs similarly, with both schools ranking in the bottom 1-5% statewide.

Chronic absenteeism is a significant systemic challenge, with a 36.6% rate—nearly double the state average (17.7%) and well above the district rate (26.7%). This pattern has persisted for five years, ranging from 33.9% to 45.7%. Notably, nearby schools with better attendance, such as Bob Mathis Elementary (23.8%) and Rainbow Elementary School (24.9%), tend to show stronger academic outcomes. Columbia spends $25,568 per student—more than Peachcrest Elementary School ($19,532) and Canby Lane ($20,137)—and maintains a favorable 10.4:1 student-teacher ratio, yet these resources haven't translated into improved results. The school's stable low ranking over a decade suggests deep-rooted challenges that funding alone hasn't addressed, making attendance improvement a potentially critical lever for future progress.

364

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,568

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3230 Columbia Woods Dr
Decatur, GA 30032

(678) 874-0702

District: DeKalb County

Students who attend Columbia Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Columbia Middle School
High:	Columbia High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.0%

Hispanic:

4.4%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Columbia Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (16% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 18% Georgia)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg34%

Georgia avg47%

1,166^th of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

66^th of 81Elementary Schools in the DeKalb County

137^th of 202DeKalb County among Georgia 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	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	9.2	1166 of 1222	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	1174 of 1238	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	1100 of 1236	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1121 of 1223	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	1119 of 1220	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	1142 of 1214	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.2	1139 of 1234	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.2	1123 of 1209	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.8	1110 of 1205	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.9	1168 of 1233	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.6	1146 of 1240	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	15.8	1089 of 1231	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	5.8	1177 of 1225	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.2	1126 of 1201	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.3	1170 of 1212	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.4	1127 of 1183	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	7.6	1098 of 1133	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.3	1077 of 1134	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.7	1093 of 1125	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.7	1061 of 1101	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	759 of 829	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	816 of 892	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	729 of 879	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	707 of 870	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	709 of 876	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	10.6	1122 of 1189	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.4	1083 of 1224	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	1096 of 1223	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	1077 of 1212	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	1118 of 1206	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	8.9	1136 of 1186	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.8	1184 of 1225	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	1082 of 1220	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	1141 of 1210	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	1100 of 1209	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)8th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics20%-28 vs state

Science7%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia Elementary 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)				Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment 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	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3230 Columbia Woods Dr	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-0702	364	35	10.4	100.0%	6 (1.6%)	324 (89.0%)	16 (4.4%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.8%)	9.2	1166^th of 1222 public elementary schools	4.6%		10.4	1174^th of 1238 public elementary schools	5.2%	8	18.2	30.6	13.1	6.6	$25,568	$2,002	$23,566
Snapfinger Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1365 Snapfinger Rd	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-1802	356	36	9.8	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	312 (87.6%)	21 (5.9%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	4.3	1213^th of 1222 public elementary schools	0.7%		6.9	1212^th of 1238 public elementary schools	2.1%	1	7.8	11.8	11.3	9.7	$24,524	$2,331	$22,192
Toney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2701 Oakland Ter	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-2102	207	21	9.8	100.0%	1 (0.5%)	175 (84.5%)	19 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.3%)	9	1168^th of 1222 public elementary schools	4.4%		10.6	1171^st of 1238 public elementary schools	5.4%	3	16.7	24.1	17.6	11.8	$29,467	$2,055	$27,412
Kelley Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2590 Kelly Lake Rd	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-4802	302	26	11.6	94.4%	1 (0.3%)	172 (57.0%)	118 (39.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.3%)	17.2	1047^th of 1222 public elementary schools	14.3%		14.4	1105^th of 1238 public elementary schools	10.7%	58	27.0	36.1	21.9	12.5	$23,473	$1,549	$21,924
Flat Shoals Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3226 Flat Shoals Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-4602	373	31	12.0	100.0%	1 (0.3%)	349 (93.6%)	10 (2.7%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	9.2	1165^th of 1222 public elementary schools	4.7%		7.3	1207^th of 1238 public elementary schools	2.5%	42	17.2	22.4	11.1	20.4	$24,890	$3,037	$21,853
PEACE Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	1954 Candler Road	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	State Specialty Schools II- PEACE Academy Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(470) 722-0706	241	16	15.0	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	231 (95.9%)	9 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10.3	1156^th of 1222 public elementary schools	5.4%		9.1	1197^th of 1238 public elementary schools	3.3%	41	11.7	0.0	13.9	27.8	$14,619	$1,029	$13,590
Peachcrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1530 Joy Ln	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-1402	729	51	14.2	100.0%	17 (2.3%)	536 (73.5%)	112 (15.4%)	26 (3.6%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (4.3%)	4.5	1212^th of 1222 public elementary schools	0.8%		6.9	1214^th of 1238 public elementary schools	1.9%	2	11.7	13.4	6.2	11.3	$19,532	$1,939	$17,593
Canby Lane Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4150 Green Hawk Trl	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-0602	446	30	14.8	100.0%	4 (0.9%)	374 (83.9%)	42 (9.4%)	15 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	17.7	1036^th of 1222 public elementary schools	15.2%		30.7	825^th of 1238 public elementary schools	33.4%	211	22.5	22.2	31.6	25.0	$20,137	$1,983	$18,154
Rainbow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2801 Kelley Chapel Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-1702	337	31	10.8	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	301 (89.3%)	20 (5.9%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.0%)	11.3	1136^th of 1222 public elementary schools	7.0%		16.2	1071^st of 1238 public elementary schools	13.5%	65	31.0	14.3	17.9	12.5	$22,972	$2,173	$20,799
Bob Mathis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3505 Boring Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-5802	368	30	12.2	100.0%	3 (0.8%)	313 (85.1%)	29 (7.9%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.9%)	17.6	1040^th of 1222 public elementary schools	14.9%		30.4	829^th of 1238 public elementary schools	33.0%	211	30.8	30.2	17.0	24.6	$57,153	$1,749	$55,405

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Columbia Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Columbia Middle School
High : Columbia High School

Is Columbia Elementary School a good school?

Columbia Elementary School ranks in the bottom 4.6% of Georgia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Elementary School?

Students at Columbia Elementary School are 89% African American, 4% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

How many students attend Columbia Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 364 students attended Columbia Elementary School.

What district is Columbia Elementary School in?

DeKalb County

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)Aug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

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