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Columbia Central School

Q: Is Columbia Central School a good school?

Columbia Central School ranks 739 th of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

739^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,368 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 46% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Columbia Central School is a public middle school located in Steger, Illinois, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 592 students. The school is part of the Steger School District 194, which is ranked 644 out of 811 districts in Illinois and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbia Central School consistently outperforms the district and state in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, with 60.8% of students proficient in 2024-2025 compared to 51% for the district and 53.1% for the state. However, the school struggles with mathematics proficiency, with only 18.1% of students proficient, lower than the district's 22.9% and the state's 38.5%. The school's performance in science is also below the state average. Interestingly, the school performs relatively well for its African American and Hispanic student populations, ranking in the top 3 and top 5 schools in Illinois, respectively, for these subgroups.

One area of concern for Columbia Central School is its high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 25.4% to 29.7% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average. The school's per-student spending has increased in recent years, indicating a focus on investing in resources. Compared to nearby schools, Columbia Central School generally outperforms them in ELA proficiency, but lags behind in mathematics. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 80.74% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, which may contribute to the challenges the school faces in improving student outcomes, particularly in mathematics.

646

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,487

Per pupil spending ?

56.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

94 Richton Rd
Steger, IL 60475-1821

(708) 753-4700

District: Steger School District 194

Students who attend Columbia Central School usually attend:

High:

Bloom Trail High School

Feeder schools for Columbia Central School:

Elementary:	Steger Intermediate Center
	Steger Primary Center

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.2%

African American:

31.6%

White:

18.1%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Columbia Central School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (29% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Science scores 24 pts below the Illinois average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg28%

Illinois avg44%

739^th of 1,368

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

644^th of 811Steger School District 194 among Illinois 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	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	739 of 1368	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	729 of 1363	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	924 of 1367	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.9	1005 of 1369	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	865 of 1241	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	887 of 1356	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	805 of 1293	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.9	906 of 1293	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	21.9	1062 of 1294	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.9	932 of 1302	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.5	944 of 1322	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.2	1003 of 1367	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.8	1042 of 1365	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.8	979 of 1344	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	44.9	860 of 1327	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.2	828 of 1318	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.2	810 of 1293	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.8	893 of 1287	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.2	826 of 1272	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	45.5	755 of 1209	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	30.9	883 of 1204	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	36.7	803 of 1185	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	216 of 574	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	189 of 548	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.5	282 of 569	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.0	282 of 573	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.5	145 of 385	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	162 of 565	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	64.6	121 of 511	76.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	41.0	347 of 694	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.1	253 of 639	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.3	552 of 674	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	60.4	123 of 483	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	39.1	277 of 486	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	349 of 480	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.9	163 of 454	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.9	159 of 277	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.2	94 of 339	72.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	43.9	657 of 1248	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	706 of 1251	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.8	801 of 1275	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	940 of 1286	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	778 of 1017	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	894 of 1276	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	741 of 1226	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	45.4	325 of 669	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.7	322 of 643	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.9	429 of 661	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.4	489 of 662	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.3	301 of 517	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	412 of 639	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.2	382 of 590	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	618 of 1229	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.6	524 of 1219	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.5	666 of 1234	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.9	798 of 1221	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.7	509 of 1019	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.9	690 of 1217	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.1	581 of 1161	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	698 of 1271	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	654 of 1264	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.6	954 of 1292	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	955 of 1286	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.6	755 of 1048	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.9	808 of 1296	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.7	759 of 1223	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	47.8	108 of 204	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.0	101 of 184	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.7	156 of 194	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	175 of 195	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	113 of 179	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	104 of 164	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	452 of 812	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	371 of 802	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.3	503 of 805	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.3	565 of 781	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.4	389 of 548	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.6	662 of 792	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	496 of 602	17.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	580 of 884	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	491 of 875	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	708 of 895	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	779 of 898	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	644 of 813	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	770 of 905	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	735 of 889	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)75th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2025)62nd percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2025)50th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)47th percentile~ school

Male (2025)45th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)44th percentile~ school

White (2025)34th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%+8 vs state

Science19%-24 vs state

Mathematics18%-20 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, March 12, 2012

My son loves Columbia Central, of the surrounding schools, this one had so many different activites and it rewards those children who are not trouble markers and who are honor students. Being smart here is a good thing, and almost no bullying... I have a smart and short kid, and he excels here at Columbia Close Quote

Schools Near Columbia Central 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 Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)		IAR English Language Arts (2025)						IAR Mathematics (2025)						% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	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 (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	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia Central School	Public	5-8	94 Richton Rd	Steger	60475	Will County	Steger School District 194	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 753-4700	646	39	16.5	56.3%	117 (18.1%)	204 (31.6%)	260 (40.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	61 (9.4%)	42.4	739^th of 1368 public middle schools	46.0%		41	729^th of 1363 public middle schools	46.5%	10	20.4	17.9		55.4	67.3	56.5	64.5	60.8		26.8	18.7	14.4	12.5	18.1	91.6	91.6	91.6	91.6	91.6	91.6	91.6	67.6	$17,487	$1,276	$16,211
Barack Obama School of Ldership	Public	4-6	401 Concord Dr	Chicago Heights	60411	Cook County	Park Forest School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9101	367	30	12.4	80.7%	5 (1.4%)	283 (77.1%)	56 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.7%)								(n/a)	33.3		31.1	56.0	49.3			44.0	16.6	24.6	14.1			19.0	97.5	98.1	98.1	98.1	98.7	98.7	97.8		$23,129	$2,216	$20,913
Crete-Monee Middle School	Public	6-8	635 Olmstead Ln	University Park	60484	Will County	Crete Monee CUSD 201U	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 367-2400	1,002	94	10.6	65.0%	131 (13.1%)	594 (59.3%)	220 (22.0%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (5.1%)	27.6	971^st of 1368 public middle schools	29.0%		26.5	970^th of 1363 public middle schools	28.8%	1		28.5			34.0	45.4	44.2	41.5			11.6	14.6	14.9	13.8									$22,166	$969	$21,197
Michelle Obama School of Technology	Public	6-8	530 Lakewood Blvd	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Park Forest School District 163	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 668-9600	428	38	11.2	79.0%	6 (1.4%)	352 (82.2%)	44 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.1%)	21.8	1079^th of 1368 public middle schools	21.1%		21.5	1069^th of 1363 public middle schools	21.6%	10		19.5			28.3	36.9	47.1	38.6			12.1	12.6	7.0	10.3	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	94.3	$24,715	$2,105	$22,609
Chicago Heights Middle School	Public	6-8	1020 Dixie Hwy	Chicago Heights	60411	Cook County	Chicago Heights School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 882-0170	872	65	13.3	92.1%	27 (3.1%)	267 (30.6%)	568 (65.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.0%)	25	1014^th of 1368 public middle schools	25.9%		27.5	950^th of 1363 public middle schools	30.3%	64		23.7			36.7	30.2	42.5	36.4			13.9	15.4	18.2	15.9	99.3	99.5	99.5	99.5	99.5	99.3	99.9	98.7	$21,301	$1,754	$19,547
Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center	Public	5-8	800 E 14th St	Ford Heights	60411	Cook County	Ford Heights School District 169	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 758-1400	156	12	13.1	98.7%	0 (0.0%)	145 (92.9%)	11 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.3	1061^st of 1368 public middle schools	22.4%		16.3	1191^st of 1363 public middle schools	12.6%	130	4.8	22.9		7.1	37.5	37.1	42.9	30.3		0.0	2.6	8.6	14.3	6.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	66.2	$25,927	$1,725	$24,202
Indiana Elementary School	Public	4-6	165 Indiana St	Park Forest	60466	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 747-5300	215	17	12.3	54.4%	1 (0.5%)	187 (87.0%)	16 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)								(n/a)	21.2		25.0	51.3	55.8			51.2	18.8	25.0	26.7			25.2	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	96.1	95.6	43.7	$22,841	$980	$21,861
O W Huth Middle School	Public	7-8	3718 213th Pl	Matteson	60443	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 748-0470	421	33	12.8	68.2%	5 (1.2%)	369 (87.6%)	30 (7.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	38.6	796^th of 1368 public middle schools	41.8%		31.7	872^nd of 1363 public middle schools	36.0%	76		32.5				47.9	43.2	45.7				21.0	28.3	24.4	99.5	98.4	98.4	98.4	98.7	97.9	99.5	96.6	$20,928	$1,238	$19,690
Rickover Junior High School	Public	6-8	22151 Torrence Ave	Sauk Village	60411	Cook County	Ccsd 168	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 758-1900	371	15	24.7	51.5%	10 (2.7%)	270 (72.8%)	72 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.6%)	11.9	1277^th of 1368 public middle schools	6.7%		14.2	1244^th of 1363 public middle schools	8.7%	33		17.2			24.4	26.5	26.5	25.8			1.7	6.1	3.5	3.7	97.8	98.1	98.1	98.1	97.5	98.4	98.4	91.8	$23,040	$2,660	$20,380
Sauk Elementary School	Public	4-6	4435 S Churchill Dr	Richton Park	60471	Cook County	Matteson Education Service District 162	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(708) 747-2660	281	21	13.2	74.4%	7 (2.5%)	240 (85.4%)	23 (8.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)								(n/a)	11.8		39.6	30.6	44.6			38.7	25.0	23.5	16.7			21.6	98.2	97.1	97.1	97.1	98.2	97.1	98.2	32.2	$21,060	$1,133	$19,927

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Central School

What district is Columbia Central School in?

Steger School District 194

What high school do graduates of Columbia Central School attend?

Students who attend Columbia Central School usually go on to attend Bloom Trail High School

Is Columbia Central School a good school?

Columbia Central School ranks 739^th of 1368 Illinois middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Columbia Central School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 646 students attended Columbia Central School.

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Central School?

Students at Columbia Central School are 40% Hispanic, 32% African American, 18% White, 9% Two or more races.

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 30, 2025

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 30, 2025

2024–25 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresOct 30, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataOct 30, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board 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.