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Columbia High School

Public Grades 9-12

619^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 9% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Columbia High School is a public high school serving 363 students in grades 9-12 in Columbia, Pennsylvania. The school is part of the Columbia Borough School District, which is ranked 557 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbia High School consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Pennsylvania high schools, with low academic performance on Keystone Exams and a graduation rate ranging from 67.9% to 87.9%, which is below the state average. The school struggles to serve its diverse student population, with low rankings for all student subgroups. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Interestingly, nearby schools such as Phoenix Academy, La Academia Partnership Charter School, and Central York High School generally outperform Columbia High School on academic measures, graduation rates, and student subgroup performance. These schools serve student populations with lower levels of economic disadvantage. Despite Columbia High School's relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio, these resources do not appear to be effectively translating into improved outcomes for students.

397

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,235

Per pupil spending ?

85.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 Ironville Pike
Columbia, PA 17512-9513

(717) 684-7500

District: Columbia Borough School District

Feeder schools for Columbia High School:

Elementary:

Park Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.3%

Hispanic:

37.3%

African American:

11.6%

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Compare Columbia High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (19% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Pennsylvania average (79% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg18%

Pennsylvania avg52%

619^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

557^th of 606Columbia Borough School District among Pennsylvania 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	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	6.5	619 of 681	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	596 of 686	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	594 of 674	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	549 of 634	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	447 of 537	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	540 of 693	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	533 of 673	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	584 of 663	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.4	562 of 677	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.8	522 of 680	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	11.1	523 of 580	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.8	538 of 591	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.1	564 of 664	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.8	576 of 660	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	26.5	545 of 649	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.3	532 of 632	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.0	525 of 621	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.8	549 of 615	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	15.3	547 of 604	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	18.6	517 of 593	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	9.1	537 of 590	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	5.5	535 of 583	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	520 of 524	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	507 of 513	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	421 of 502	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	8.7	584 of 657	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	571 of 665	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	6.9	277 of 287	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	237 of 274	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	244 of 252	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	5.2	626 of 651	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	578 of 664	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	596 of 652	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	5.2	622 of 660	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	599 of 662	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	3.1	563 of 583	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.5	571 of 595	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	541 of 577	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)6th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2025)1st percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature28%-34 vs state

Biology14%-35 vs state

Algebra I13%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia High 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)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	PSSA Math (2025)				PSSA English Language Arts (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 (2025)	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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	901 Ironville Pike	Columbia	17512	Lancaster County	Columbia Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 684-7500	397	27	14.4		164 (41.3%)	46 (11.6%)	148 (37.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.1%)	6.5	619^th of 681 public high schools	9.1%		10.4	596^th of 686 public high schools	13.1%	23	13.0	14.3	28.2									$26,235	$1,435	$24,799
Donegal High School	Public	9-12	1025 Koser Road	Mount Joy	17552	Lancaster County	Donegal School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 653-1871	955	58	16.5	45.5%	707 (74.0%)	37 (3.9%)	162 (17.0%)	16 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (3.4%)	55.9	330^th of 681 public high schools	51.5%		51.8	375^th of 686 public high schools	45.3%	45	42.6	50.5	63.2									$16,896	$707	$16,189
Eastern York High School	Public	9-12	720 Cool Creek Rd	Wrightsville	17368	York County	Eastern York School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 252-1551	640	53	12.1	44.8%	532 (83.1%)	17 (2.7%)	61 (9.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	80.1	116^th of 681 public high schools	83.0%		85.5	77^th of 686 public high schools	88.8%	39	61.1	58.4	79.9									$21,543	$3,154	$18,389
Lancaster County Career and Technology Center - Mt Joy Cmps	Public	9-12	432 Old Market St	Mount Joy	17552	Lancaster County	Lancaster County Career and Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(717) 653-3000	15	20	.7	80.0%	12 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (13.3%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Hempfield Senior High School	Public	9-12	200 Stanley Ave	Landisville	17538	Lancaster County	Hempfield School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 898-5510	2,281	138	16.5	40.6%	1,503 (65.9%)	149 (6.5%)	423 (18.5%)	97 (4.3%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	107 (4.7%)	84.6	83^rd of 681 public high schools	87.8%		86.8	64^th of 686 public high schools	90.7%	19	68.9	68.6	73.8									$17,060	$414	$16,646
Penn Manor High School	Public	9-12	East Cottage Avenue	Millersville	17551	Lancaster County	Penn Manor School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 872-9520	1,807	113	15.9	49.6%	1,235 (68.3%)	130 (7.2%)	333 (18.4%)	52 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	53 (2.9%)	85.1	79^th of 681 public high schools	88.4%		78.4	126^th of 686 public high schools	81.6%	47	74.3	65.6	74.7									$16,003	$187	$15,816
Elizabethtown Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	600 E High St	Elizabethtown	17022	Lancaster County	Elizabethtown Area School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 367-1533	1,263	75	16.9	37.9%	1,069 (84.6%)	36 (2.9%)	87 (6.9%)	22 (1.7%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.6%)	62.5	275^th of 681 public high schools	59.6%		69.4	209^th of 686 public high schools	69.5%	66	54.4	47.5	65.3									$32,336	$1,631	$30,705
Manheim Central Senior High School	Public	9-12	400 Adele Ave	Manheim	17545	Lancaster County	Manheim Central School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 664-8400	896	62	14.4	30.0%	735 (82.0%)	22 (2.5%)	98 (10.9%)	23 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.0%)	62.6	273^rd of 681 public high schools	59.9%		68.7	216^th of 686 public high schools	68.5%	57	46.5	53.6	66.7									$21,538	$172	$21,365
Phoenix Academy	Public, Magnet	6-12	630 Rockland St	Lancaster	17602	Lancaster County	Lancaster School District	No	Yes	No	No	(717) 735-7860	305	25	12.2	89.2%	14 (4.6%)	56 (18.4%)	207 (67.9%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.2%)	2	669^th of 681 public high schools	1.8%		1.5	686^th of 686 public high schools	0.0%	17	0.0	4.9	18.6									$23,978	$3,818	$20,161
La Academia Partnership Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	30 N Ann Street	Lancaster	17602	Lancaster County	La Academia Partnership Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(717) 295-7763	196	18	10.8	102.0%	5 (2.6%)	17 (8.7%)	164 (83.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.1%)	1.2	680^th of 681 public high schools	0.1%		4.1	648^th of 686 public high schools	5.5%	32	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	31.3	7.7	3.2	11.0	$17,780	$2,875	$14,905

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia High School

How many students attend Columbia High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 397 students attended Columbia High School.

What district is Columbia High School in?

Columbia Borough School District

What is the racial makeup of Columbia High School?

Students at Columbia High School are 41% White, 37% Hispanic, 12% African American, 9% Two or more races.

Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks in the bottom 9.1% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What schools feed into Columbia High School?

Columbia High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Park Elementary School

Rate Columbia High School!

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Latest Pennsylvania data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 29, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesMar 27, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataJan 29, 2026

2024–25 Keystone Exams & PSSA scoresNov 13, 2025

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