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Columbia High School

Q: Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks 131 st of 434 New Jersey high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

131^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 434 New Jersey High Schools

Better than 70% of New Jersey high schools

Summary

Columbia High School is a public high school located in Maplewood, New Jersey, serving 1,933 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which is ranked 160 out of 609 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Columbia High School consistently outperforms the state average in NJSLA/NJGPA test scores across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school had 89.7% proficiency in NJGPA English Language Arts and 76.3% proficiency in NJGPA Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 80.7% and 58%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly strong in NJSLA/NJGPA Algebra II and NJSLA/NJGPA Science for 11th grade, where it has significantly higher proficiency rates than the state average.

While Millburn High School, located approximately 2.8 miles away, outperforms Columbia High School in academic metrics, the school still ranks highly compared to other nearby schools, such as those in the Newark Public School District. Additionally, the STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges, located just 1.5 miles from Columbia High School, has also shown impressive academic performance, ranking 61st in the state in 2024-2025.

1,985

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,150

Per pupil spending ?

18.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17 Parker Ave
Maplewood, NJ 07040-1327

(973) 762-5600

District: South Orange-Maplewood School District

Feeder schools for Columbia High School:

Elementary:	Clinton Elementary School
	Delia Bolden Elementary School
	Marshall Elementary School
	Seth Boyden Elementary Demonstration School
	More...
	South Mountain Elementary School
	Tuscan Elementary School
Middle:	Maplewood Middle School
	South Orange Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.5%

African American:

28.5%

Hispanic:

8.6%

See top rated New Jersey high schools

Compare Columbia High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 54th percentile in 2015 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Jersey average (61% vs 50% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the New Jersey median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Geometry scores 26 pts below the New Jersey average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg64%

New Jersey avg50%

131^st of 434

New Jersey public high schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Jersey High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

160^th of 609South Orange-Maplewood School District among New Jersey 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	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	131 of 434	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	51.5	193 of 429	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.3	153 of 422	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	164 of 415	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.4	90 of 405	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	57.6	134 of 416	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.6	117 of 415	71.8%	★★★★☆
2017	57.7	121 of 411	70.6%	★★★★☆
2016	42.1	207 of 409	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.7	188 of 406	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	63.2	197 of 411	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.5	145 of 396	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.6	195 of 388	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.8	147 of 378	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.3	181 of 371	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.3	173 of 370	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.7	181 of 359	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.4	199 of 361	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	59.7	192 of 357	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	66.8	140 of 351	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	62.0	157 of 348	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2003	64.6	137 of 343	60.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	136 of 283	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.2	80 of 282	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	51.8	72 of 250	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	49.8	87 of 256	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.2	79 of 247	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	76 of 254	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	46.6	117 of 266	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	57.4	72 of 190	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	81 of 191	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.1	104 of 172	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	78.8	24 of 175	86.3%	★★★★☆
2021	35.3	114 of 165	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.8	138 of 191	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.1	112 of 198	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	45.6	90 of 215	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	66 of 191	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.5	36 of 137	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	44.0	56 of 138	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.8	65 of 146	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	73.6	82 of 426	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	57.1	170 of 420	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.8	191 of 416	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.6	168 of 414	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.8	94 of 402	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	58.5	133 of 408	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	116 of 403	71.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	66.9	96 of 406	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	95 of 403	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	50 of 385	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	47.2	149 of 382	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.4	167 of 374	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.5	161 of 364	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	166 of 368	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	166 of 377	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	130 of 358	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.5	179 of 344	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.9	136 of 324	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.7	165 of 326	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.1	206 of 347	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	224 of 345	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	56.9	149 of 426	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	155 of 419	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.4	279 of 414	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.8	262 of 410	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.8	92 of 402	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	56.7	124 of 407	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.8	120 of 405	70.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	76.8	39 of 359	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	54 of 361	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	70.2	45 of 339	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	72.0	43 of 344	87.5%	★★★★☆
2021	70.0	53 of 333	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	65.9	77 of 349	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.4	64 of 355	82.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Jersey percentile	Rating
2025	68.2	68 of 347	80.4%	★★★★☆
2024	65.5	102 of 345	70.4%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	61 of 335	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	62.5	69 of 335	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	61.8	60 of 336	82.1%	★★★★☆
2019	72.7	46 of 339	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	24 of 340	92.9%	★★★★★

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 (2025)89th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile+11 vs school

White (2025)80th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)76th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)65th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)62nd percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)58th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile-14 vs school

African American (2025)52nd percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs New Jersey (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics76%+18 vs state

Algebra II70%-12 vs state

English Language Arts69%+19 vs state

Science61%+29 vs state

Geometry28%-26 vs state

Algebra I9%-22 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, June 4, 2011

Fantastic high school for AP level students -- better than a private school education. My son is excelling, and taking 5 AP level classes. Many top students here end up in Ivy League schools.

Yes, it's a diverse school. But if you want your child to experience the real world and get an outstanding education, Columbia HS is a great place. Close Quote

Schools Near Columbia High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NJGPA English Language Arts (2025)	NJGPA Mathematics (2025)	NJSLA-S Science (2025)	NJSLA English Language Arts (2025)	NJSLA Algebra I (2025)			NJSLA Geometry (2025)			NJSLA Algebra II (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	NJGPA English Language Arts 11th Grade	NJGPA Mathematics 11th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry 10th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	NJSLA Algebra II 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	17 Parker Ave	Maplewood	07040	Essex County	South Orange-Maplewood School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 762-5600	1,985	140	14.2	18.2%	1,022 (51.5%)	566 (28.5%)	171 (8.6%)	73 (3.7%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	135 (6.8%)	63.1	131^st of 434 public high schools	69.8%		51.5	193^rd of 429 public high schools	55.0%	62	89.7	76.3	60.8	68.8	9.4		9.2	29.1	21.7	28.2	70.0		69.7	$6,150		$6,150
STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges	Public	9-12	445 Scotland Road	South Orange	07079	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4190	180	16	11.6	71.1%	0 (0.0%)	96 (53.3%)	81 (45.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	76.9	61^st of 434 public high schools	85.9%		90.4	15^th of 429 public high schools	96.5%	46			58.7	90.7				62.9		62.9
Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology	Public	9-12	746 Sanford Avenue	Newark	07106	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 695-3748	414	30	13.8	79.5%	15 (3.6%)	254 (61.4%)	119 (28.7%)	10 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	14 (3.4%)	55.1	170^th of 434 public high schools	60.8%					(n/a)	86.6	68.8	40.2	46.4	20.8		20.8
Irvington High School	Public	9-12	1253 Clinton Ave	Irvington	07111	Essex County	Irvington Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 399-6897	1,913	127	15.1	62.5%	4 (0.2%)	1,332 (69.6%)	567 (29.6%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	11.1	410^th of 434 public high schools	5.5%		10.9	408^th of 429 public high schools	4.9%	2	58.9	26.1	9.5	15.7	4.0	0.0	3.8	20.0		18.9				$11,803	$142	$11,661
Union High School	Public	9-12	2350 North Third Street	Union	07083	Union County	Township of Union School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(908) 851-6500	2,410	157	15.3	51.2%	324 (13.4%)	1,078 (44.7%)	729 (30.2%)	205 (8.5%)	4 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	66 (2.7%)	27.6	326^th of 434 public high schools	24.9%		31.1	301^st of 429 public high schools	29.8%	25	73.2	39.9	25.3	37.2	4.9		4.9	29.4		29.4				$8,460	$206	$8,254
Orange High School	Public	9-12	400 Lincoln Ave	Orange	07050	Essex County	ORANGE BOARD OF EDUCATION School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 677-4050	1,368	86	16.0	64.8%	2 (0.1%)	661 (48.3%)	697 (51.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.5%)	14	398^th of 434 public high schools	8.3%		13.9	387^th of 429 public high schools	9.8%	11	60.8	30.6	7.5	23.6	14.6	9.1	14.2	31.3		29.4				$11,681	$190	$11,491
Millburn High School	Public	9-12	462 Millburn Ave	Millburn	07041	Essex County	Millburn Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(973) 564-7130	1,380	133	10.3	1.9%	601 (43.6%)	41 (3.0%)	70 (5.1%)	586 (42.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	78 (5.7%)	84.8	32^nd of 434 public high schools	92.6%		91.5	10^th of 429 public high schools	97.7%	22			80.1	82.9	57.7	18.2	53.7	92.1	35.9	78.5		91.0	91.3	$16,959	$34	$16,925
Weequahic High School	Public	9-12	279 Chancellor Ave	Newark	07112	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 705-3923	592	36	16.4	70.4%	5 (0.8%)	503 (85.0%)	72 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	7 (1.2%)	7	426^th of 434 public high schools	1.8%		13.1	391^st of 429 public high schools	8.9%	35	54.8	13.6	4.0	7.3	0.9		0.9							$14,342	$675	$13,667
Eagle Academy for Young Men of Newark	Public	9-12	279 Chancellor Avenue	Newark	07112	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 733-1234	155	14	11.0	82.6%	1 (0.6%)	118 (76.1%)	31 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	12.6	405^th of 434 public high schools	6.7%		7	418^th of 429 public high schools	2.6%	13	60.5	32.6	4.7	0.0	8.7		8.7							$13,274	$240	$13,034
University High School	Public	8-12	55 Clinton Pl	Newark	07108	Essex County	Newark Public School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(973) 374-3190	426	36	11.8	82.2%	3 (0.7%)	328 (77.0%)	89 (20.9%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45.4	233^rd of 434 public high schools	46.3%		32.6	292^nd of 429 public high schools	31.9%	59	87.2	32.2	11.3	73.5	23.4		23.4							$12,448	$636	$11,812

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia High School

Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks 131^st of 434 New Jersey high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Columbia High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,985 students attended Columbia High School.

What district is Columbia High School in?

South Orange-Maplewood School District

What is the racial makeup of Columbia High School?

Students at Columbia High School are 51% White, 29% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What schools feed into Columbia High School?

Columbia High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Clinton Elementary School
Elementary : Delia Bolden Elementary School
Elementary : Marshall Elementary School
Elementary : Seth Boyden Elementary Demonstration School
Elementary : South Mountain Elementary School
Elementary : Tuscan Elementary School
Middle : Maplewood Middle School
Middle : South Orange Middle School

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