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Northern Heights Elementary School

Q: Is Northern Heights Elementary School a good school?

Northern Heights Elementary School ranks 415 th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

415^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Northern Heights Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Columbia City, Indiana, serving 519 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Whitley County Con Schools district, which is ranked 189 out of 380 districts in the state.

Northern Heights Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in both English Language Arts and Math proficiency across all grade levels. In the 2024-2025 school year, 42.65% of Northern Heights students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 40.17% for the district and 40.3% for the state. In Math, 51.47% of Northern Heights students were proficient or better, compared to 37.47% for the district and 51.5% for the state. The school also performs well in Science and Social Studies, with 41.86% and 33.33% proficiency, respectively.

While Northern Heights Elementary has seen a decrease in chronic absenteeism, from 19.2% in 2022-2023 to 14.9% in 2023-2024, the school still has room for improvement to reach the state target of 10%. The school's spending per student has increased from $7,661 in 2021-2022 to $9,869 in 2023-2024, which is higher than some nearby schools like Coesse School ($10,731) and Mary Raber Elementary School ($11,540). Overall, Northern Heights Elementary appears to be a strong-performing school within the Whitley County Con Schools district, with a focus on academic achievement and a commitment to improving student outcomes.

504

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,869

Per pupil spending ?

30%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5209 N Sr 109
Columbia City, IN 46725

(260) 691-2371

District: Whitley County Con Schools

Students who attend Northern Heights Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Indian Springs Middle School
High:	Columbia City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.7%

Two or more races:

3.6%

Hispanic:

3.2%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Northern Heights Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (45% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Whitley County Con Schools

✓Above the Indiana median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg39%

Indiana avg38%

415^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Whitley County Con Schools

189^th of 380Whitley County Con Schools among Indiana 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	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	59.2	415 of 1005	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.9	237 of 1011	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	308 of 1016	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.7	299 of 1020	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	68.1	321 of 1016	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.7	274 of 1031	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.3	424 of 1027	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.5	309 of 1033	70.1%	★★★★☆
2016	74.4	232 of 1046	77.8%	★★★★☆
2015	69.4	302 of 1040	71.0%	★★★★☆
2014	66.0	379 of 1036	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.5	471 of 1035	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.7	616 of 1015	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.4	592 of 1025	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.4	386 of 1009	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.9	484 of 1003	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.1	456 of 996	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.3	422 of 985	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.2	432 of 961	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.9	316 of 959	67.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Math51%

English Language Arts43%

Science42%

Social Studies33%-5 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 21, 2019

The office staff is not people friendly. The office women are very rude. The principal Mr Mullet is robotic and says things on repeat but does not listen or care. The school has went down hill after the previous principal left. The older treacher’s were great but a lot of them are retiring. I would never recommend this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Northern Heights 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)					ILEARN Math (2025)					ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northern Heights Elementary School	Public	K-5	5209 N Sr 109	Columbia City	46725	Whitley County	Whitley County Con Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 691-2371	504	33	15.1	30.0%	467 (92.7%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.6%)	59.2	415^th of 1005 public elementary schools	58.7%		74.9	237^th of 1011 public elementary schools	76.6%	178	40.0	46.5	41.7		42.7	57.8	50.0	46.9		51.5	41.9		41.9	33.3	$9,869	$667	$9,202
Mary Raber Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	700 E Jackson St	Columbia City	46725	Whitley County	Whitley County Con Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 244-5857	297	19	15.4	32.7%	270 (90.9%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.4%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.4%)	22.2	797^th of 1005 public elementary schools	20.7%		29.2	737^th of 1011 public elementary schools	27.1%	60	18.8	35.7	25.0		25.0	16.7	46.4	12.5		23.2	35.7		35.7	9.4	$11,540	$1,885	$9,655
Central Noble Primary School	Public	K-2	1283 S Main St	Wolflake	46796	Noble County	Central Noble Com School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 635-2432	238	17	14.4	38.2%	229 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)															$12,047	$530	$11,517
Little Turtle Elementary School	Public	K-5	1710 S State Rd 9	Columbia City	46725	Whitley County	Whitley County Con Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 244-3343	583	36	16.1	40.7%	518 (88.9%)	7 (1.2%)	19 (3.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.0%)	50.9	503^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	50.0%		48.3	544^th of 1011 public elementary schools	46.2%	41	37.9	37.4	41.7		39.0	45.1	42.4	46.3		44.7	41.4		41.4	31.5	$9,523	$925	$8,598
Churubusco Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3 Eagle Dr	Churubusco	46723	Whitley County	Smith-Green Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 693-2188	500	34	14.9	35.4%	461 (92.2%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	59.6	409^th of 1005 public elementary schools	59.3%		61.8	391^st of 1011 public elementary schools	61.3%	18	44.6	47.8	38.0		43.4	73.0	43.5	27.2		46.1	52.2		52.2	40.2	$10,172	$228	$9,944
Coesse School	Public	K-5	2250 S 500 E	Columbia City	46725	Whitley County	Whitley County Con Schools	No	No	No	No	(260) 244-3351	291	20	14.4	48.5%	266 (91.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	46.3	557^th of 1005 public elementary schools	44.6%		47.9	549^th of 1011 public elementary schools	45.7%	8	47.6	36.6	27.7		36.9	59.5	43.9	27.7		43.1	41.5		41.5	25.5	$10,731	$870	$9,860
Pierceton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	434 S First St	Pierceton	46562	Kosciusko County	Whitko Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 594-2210	298	22	13.7	54.0%	266 (89.3%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.4%)	31.9	711^th of 1005 public elementary schools	29.3%		20	814^th of 1011 public elementary schools	19.5%	103	32.6	30.4	31.0	24.4	29.7	41.9	45.7	28.6	22.0	34.9	30.4	19.5	25.3	23.8	$11,372	$1,464	$9,908
Central Noble Elementary School	Public	3-5	202 Cougar Ct	Albion	46701	Noble County	Central Noble Com School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 636-7538	247	18	13.7	50.6%	226 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	35.7	670^th of 1005 public elementary schools	33.3%		42	603^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	40.4%	67	29.3	25.9	36.1		30.4	37.8	36.5	36.1		36.8	34.1		34.1	27.9	$12,128	$738	$11,389
North Webster Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5745 N 750 E	North Webster	46555	Kosciusko County	Wawasee Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 834-7644	430	29	14.8	51.4%	386 (89.8%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	64.5	343^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	65.9%		56.9	450^th of 1011 public elementary schools	55.5%	107	56.5	50.8	44.4		50.3	46.8	52.5	44.4		47.7	44.3		44.3	40.3	$11,862	$1,147	$10,715
South Whitley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	406 W Wayne St	South Whitley	46787	Whitley County	Whitko Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 723-6342	300	18	16.4	45.0%	275 (91.7%)	2 (0.7%)	12 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.3%)	60	402^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	60.0%		52.7	499^th of 1011 public elementary schools	50.6%	97	43.9	37.3	48.9	31.7	40.6	61.0	54.9	48.9	39.0	51.1	52.9	22.0	39.1	42.6	$11,697	$1,156	$10,542

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Heights Elementary School

What district is Northern Heights Elementary School in?

Whitley County Con Schools

What schools do graduates of Northern Heights Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Northern Heights Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Indian Springs Middle School
High : Columbia City High School

What is the racial makeup of Northern Heights Elementary School?

Students at Northern Heights Elementary School are 93% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Northern Heights Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 504 students attended Northern Heights Elementary School.

Is Northern Heights Elementary School a good school?

Northern Heights Elementary School ranks 415^th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Northern Heights Elementary School!

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Schools in Columbia City, IN

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 16, 2025

2024–25 ILEARN & SAT test scoresJul 16, 2025

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