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Southern Columbia High School

Q: Is Southern Columbia High School a good school?

Southern Columbia High School ranks 294 th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

294^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 57% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Southern Columbia High School is a public high school located in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, serving 364 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Southern Columbia Area School District, which is ranked 144 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southern Columbia High School has consistently ranked among the top high schools in Pennsylvania, with Keystone Exam proficiency rates significantly higher than the state averages, particularly in Algebra I (76.1% vs. 44.3%) and Literature (56.2% vs. 62.1%). The school maintains a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 87.5% to 94.3% in recent years, and a low dropout rate of 0.3% to 1.6%. Additionally, the school has a relatively low percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 14.55% to 26.37% in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, such as North Schuylkill Junior/Senior High School and Shamokin Area High School, Southern Columbia High School consistently outperforms them in academic performance, graduation rates, and socioeconomic status of the student population. Another high-performing school in the area, Central Columbia Senior High School, is comparable to Southern Columbia High School in several metrics, including academic achievement and graduation rates.

348

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,512

Per pupil spending ?

27.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

812 Southern Drive
Catawissa, PA 17820-8410

(570) 356-3450

District: Southern Columbia Area School District

Feeder schools for Southern Columbia High School:

Elementary:	Hartman Elementary Center
Middle:	Southern Columbia Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.1%

Hispanic:

3.2%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Southern Columbia High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 87th percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (58% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)

✓Above the Pennsylvania median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school58%

District avg58%

Pennsylvania avg52%

294^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 30 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

144^th of 606Southern Columbia Area 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	59.9	294 of 681	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	382 of 686	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	81.9	99 of 674	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	84.5	69 of 634	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	78.2	107 of 537	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.0	29 of 693	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	83.4	69 of 673	89.7%	★★★★☆
2017	82.0	86 of 663	87.0%	★★★★☆
2016	80.3	99 of 677	85.4%	★★★★☆
2015	81.1	91 of 680	86.6%	★★★★☆
2014	86.3	42 of 580	92.8%	★★★★★
2013	77.6	103 of 591	82.6%	★★★★☆
2012	83.7	52 of 664	92.2%	★★★★★
2011	79.8	78 of 660	88.2%	★★★★☆
2010	85.3	39 of 649	94.0%	★★★★★
2009	87.3	33 of 632	94.8%	★★★★★
2008	80.7	76 of 621	87.8%	★★★★☆
2007	72.1	155 of 615	74.8%	★★★★☆
2006	76.8	107 of 604	82.3%	★★★★☆
2005	75.8	120 of 593	79.8%	★★★★☆
2004	80.4	100 of 590	83.1%	★★★★☆
2003	70.6	165 of 583	71.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	66.9	119 of 513	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	96.1	20 of 502	96.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	264 of 657	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	374 of 665	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	71.3	158 of 651	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	61.4	245 of 664	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	258 of 652	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	56.9	306 of 660	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	368 of 662	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	325 of 583	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	397 of 595	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	74.0	135 of 577	76.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2024)77th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2025)60th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)54th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)44th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I76%+32 vs state

Literature56%-6 vs state

Biology42%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southern Columbia High School

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)	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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southern Columbia High School	Public	9-12	812 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 356-3450	348	28	12.3	27.6%	324 (93.1%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	59.9	294^th of 681 public high schools	56.8%		50.9	382^nd of 686 public high schools	44.3%	88	76.1	42.0	56.2	$18,512	$1,224	$17,288
Danville Center Adolescent Female	Public	7-12	13 Kirkbride Drive	Danville	17821	Montour County	Danville Center Adolescent Female	No	No	No	No	(570) 271-4751	45	12	3.9		13 (28.9%)	24 (53.3%)	8 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
North Central Secure Trmnt Unt	Public	7-12	210 Clinic Rd	Danville	17821	Montour County	North Central Secure Trmnt Unt	No	No	No	No	(570) 271-4710	43	12	3.7		7 (16.3%)	26 (60.5%)	9 (20.9%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Bloomsburg Area High School	Public	9-12	1200 Railroad St	Bloomsburg	17815	Columbia County	Bloomsburg Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 784-6100	362	27	13.5	45.3%	290 (80.1%)	14 (3.9%)	26 (7.2%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.4%)	65.9	248^th of 681 public high schools	63.6%		61.7	276^th of 686 public high schools	59.8%	28	61.3	41.7	72.1	$13,664	$981	$12,683
Danville Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	733 Ironmen Lane	Danville	17821	Montour County	Danville Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 271-3268	635	40	15.9	30.6%	538 (84.7%)	15 (2.4%)	18 (2.8%)	36 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	26 (4.1%)	86.8	63^rd of 681 public high schools	90.7%		70.5	203^rd of 686 public high schools	70.4%	140	61.3	72.0	82.2	$16,251	$813	$15,438
Mount Carmel Area High School	Public	9-12	600 W 5th St	Mount Carmel	17851	Northumberland County	Mount Carmel Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 339-1500	503	29	17.2	98.6%	398 (79.1%)	20 (4.0%)	66 (13.1%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.6%)	30.8	496^th of 681 public high schools	27.2%		30.3	509^th of 686 public high schools	25.8%	13	44.0	31.0	40.0	$15,399	$654	$14,745
Northumberland County Career and Technology Center	Public	10-12	1700-2000 West Montgomery Stre	Coal Township	17866	Northumberland County	Northumberland County Career and Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(570) 644-0304	15	9	1.6	80.0%	15 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Shamokin Area High School	Public	9-12	2000 W State St	Shamokin	17866	Northumberland County	Shamokin Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 648-5731	675	40	16.7	98.5%	550 (81.5%)	34 (5.0%)	73 (10.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)	24	532^nd of 681 public high schools	21.9%		26.5	523^rd of 686 public high schools	23.8%	9	28.6	23.2	50.5	$17,899	$1,901	$15,997
Central Columbia Senior High School	Public	9-12	4777 Old Berwick Rd	Bloomsburg	17815	Columbia County	Central Columbia School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 784-2833	601	44	13.6	29.0%	541 (90.0%)	6 (1.0%)	27 (4.5%)	12 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	77.2	147^th of 681 public high schools	78.4%		86.6	66^th of 686 public high schools	90.4%	81	59.1	63.6	70.5	$22,014	$330	$21,684
Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School	Public	9-12	5050 Sweppenheiser Drive	Bloomsburg	17815	Columbia County	Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School	No	No	No	No	(570) 784-8040	609	48	12.7	53.0%	539 (88.5%)	11 (1.8%)	26 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.8%)	15.8	570^th of 681 public high schools	16.3%		15.8	575^th of 686 public high schools	16.2%	5	27.1	24.2	33.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Columbia High School

What schools feed into Southern Columbia High School?

Southern Columbia High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hartman Elementary Center
Middle : Southern Columbia Middle School

How many students attend Southern Columbia High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 348 students attended Southern Columbia High School.

What district is Southern Columbia High School in?

Southern Columbia Area School District

What is the racial makeup of Southern Columbia High School?

Students at Southern Columbia High School are 93% White, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Is Southern Columbia High School a good school?

Southern Columbia High School ranks 294^th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Southern Columbia High School!

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Schools in Catawissa, PA

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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.