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Columbus High

Q: Is Columbus High a good school?

Columbus High ranks 237 th of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

237^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 533 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 56% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

Columbus High is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Columbus, Wisconsin, a small city in the farming area northeast of Madison, with 383 students. It belongs to the Columbus School District, which ranks 196th of 432 districts statewide; Columbus High itself ranks 237th of 533 for 2025–2026, placing it in the 56th percentile with 3 stars.

Outcomes are a genuine strength. The graduation rate was 97.8% in both 2023–2024 and 2024–2025, well above Wisconsin's 92.0%, and only Randolph High (100%) and Fall River High (98.0%) were higher among nearby schools. The dropout rate was 0.2% versus the state's 1.1%. Chronic absenteeism was 14.9%, better than the state's 17.3% and better than most nearby schools, though still above the district's 8.8% and Fall River's 8.2%. At 383 students, the school sits between small rural schools such as Randolph High (161) and large ones such as Sun Prairie East High (1,340). Its free/reduced lunch rate of 21.41% is the lowest among nearby high schools, and the student-teacher ratio is 12.6.

Academics are more uneven. In 2025–2026, proficiency reached 54% in social studies and 53.57% in English language arts — both above state averages and near the top of the nearby group. Math, however, was 33.33%, below the state's 42.93% and below nearby Randolph High, Fall River High, Cambria Friesland Middle/High, Sun Prairie West High, Sun Prairie East High, and Rio Middle/High. Science was 42.86%, about the state average. Math fell from 48.75% and science from 57.5% the year before, a decline worth watching. Effectiveness for low-income students (39th percentile) and special education students (45th percentile) also trailed the school's overall 56th percentile.

383

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,589

Per pupil spending ?

21.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1164 Farnham St
Columbus, WI 53925-1804

(920) 623-5950

District: Columbus School District

Feeder schools for Columbus High:

Elementary:	Columbus Elementary
Middle:	Columbus Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.9%

Hispanic:

8.9%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Wisconsin high schools

Compare Columbus High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 23rd percentile in 2023 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Wisconsin average (92%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 56th (2026) from a 23rd-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the Wisconsin median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg46%

Wisconsin avg46%

237^th of 533

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

196^th of 432Columbus School District among Wisconsin 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	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	237 of 533	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.3	127 of 431	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	66.4	120 of 431	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	28.3	320 of 415	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	57.4	150 of 391	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.0	202 of 390	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.3	278 of 400	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	69.6	94 of 410	77.1%	★★★★☆
2017	56.3	160 of 410	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.9	73 of 408	82.1%	★★★★☆
2015	82.3	27 of 466	94.2%	★★★★★
2014	68.9	127 of 462	72.5%	★★★★☆
2013	57.3	217 of 457	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	82.7	17 of 452	96.2%	★★★★★
2011	76.1	65 of 445	85.4%	★★★★☆
2010	68.4	144 of 450	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	76.3	63 of 438	85.6%	★★★★☆
2008	78.7	42 of 437	90.4%	★★★★★
2007	81.7	21 of 281	92.5%	★★★★★
2006	78.2	34 of 292	88.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	178 of 461	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.3	135 of 358	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	151 of 353	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	21.4	287 of 329	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	66.6	102 of 343	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	49.7	165 of 332	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.1	197 of 343	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.7	72 of 355	79.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	271 of 446	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.1	216 of 335	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.4	94 of 326	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	20.1	225 of 250	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.4	76 of 226	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.0	176 of 251	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	232 of 462	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.3	93 of 380	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	88 of 365	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	44.7	209 of 359	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	215 of 347	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.5	186 of 334	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	247 of 354	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.9	117 of 373	68.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	182 of 333	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	45.5	201 of 344	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.5	117 of 285	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	103 of 300	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	21.6	224 of 271	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.7	127 of 269	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.0	160 of 266	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.6	198 of 266	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	64.2	76 of 261	70.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)61st percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)42nd percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies54%+6 vs state

English Language Arts54%+5 vs state

Science43%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbus High

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)		Forward Exam Science (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ACT English Language Arts 10th Grade	ACT Mathematics 10th Grade	ACT Science 10th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 10th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbus High	Public	9-12	1164 Farnham St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 623-5950	383	30	12.6	21.4%	329 (85.9%)	6 (1.6%)	34 (8.9%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	57.4	237^th of 533 public high schools	55.5%		66.3	127^th of 431 public high schools	70.5%	110	53.6	33.3	42.9								54.0		$16,589	$378	$16,210
Fall River High	Public	6-12	150 Bradley St	Fall River	53932	Columbia County	Fall River School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 484-3333	253	20	12.4	27.3%	216 (85.4%)	3 (1.2%)	21 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.0%)	66.8	168^th of 533 public high schools	68.5%		88.9	32^nd of 431 public high schools	92.6%	136	59.5	50.0	54.8	55.3	62.1	68.6	65.8	44.8	40.0	62.9	39.5	54.3	$17,460	$204	$17,256
Waterloo High	Public	9-12	865 N Monroe St	Waterloo	53594	Jefferson County	Waterloo School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 478-2171	232	16	14.2	37.9%	156 (67.2%)	4 (1.7%)	66 (28.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	45	320^th of 533 public high schools	40.0%		22.3	367^th of 431 public high schools	14.8%	47	45.2	33.9	33.9								48.9		$16,217	$532	$15,685
Marshall High	Public	9-12	623 Madison St	Marshall	53559	Dane County	Marshall School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 655-1310	281	24	11.8	34.9%	175 (62.3%)	12 (4.3%)	66 (23.5%)	9 (3.2%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.7%)	44.8	321^st of 533 public high schools	39.8%		56	189^th of 431 public high schools	56.1%	132	52.5	30.5	32.2								45.0		$17,513	$14,862	$2,651
Rio Middle/High	Public	6-12	411 Church St	Rio	53960	Columbia County	Rio Community School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 992-3141	183	20	9.2	37.2%	167 (91.3%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (3.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)	35.2	375^th of 533 public high schools	29.6%		65.5	130^th of 431 public high schools	69.8%	245	28.0	40.0	32.0	55.2	68.0	55.6	44.8	56.0	40.7	74.1	40.0	55.6	$20,482	$766	$19,716
Beaver Dam High	Public	9-12	500 Gould St	Beaver Dam	53916	Dodge County	Beaver Dam Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 885-7313	1,031	69	15.0	40.3%	725 (70.3%)	16 (1.6%)	231 (22.4%)	8 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.6%)	50.5	289^th of 533 public high schools	45.8%		41.1	281^st of 431 public high schools	34.8%	8	46.3	33.0	43.6								47.8		$14,189	$578	$13,610
Sun Prairie East High	Public	9-12	888 Grove St	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 834-6700	1,340	94	14.3	27.2%	821 (61.3%)	136 (10.1%)	152 (11.3%)	95 (7.1%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	124 (9.3%)	64.8	186^th of 533 public high schools	65.1%		49	231^st of 431 public high schools	46.4%	45	53.9	42.9	48.9								53.3		$16,795	$314	$16,481
Prairie Phoenix Academy	Public	9-12	220 Kroncke Dr	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 834-6900	88	8	10.7	55.7%	31 (35.2%)	28 (31.8%)	12 (13.6%)	2 (2.3%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (14.8%)	10.8	472^nd of 533 public high schools	11.4%					(n/a)	29.4	11.8	11.8								0.0		$20,053	$250	$19,804
Randolph High	Public	9-12	110 Meadowood Dr	Randolph	53956	Dodge County	Randolph School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 326-2425	161	15	10.9	26.1%	142 (88.2%)	2 (1.2%)	12 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)	59.1	228^th of 533 public high schools	57.2%		26.3	348^th of 431 public high schools	19.3%	120	57.1	50.0	39.3								43.3		$21,483	$342	$21,141
Cambria Friesland Middle/High	Public	6-12	410 E Edgewater St	Cambria	53923	Columbia County	Cambria-Friesland School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 348-5548	163	16	10.3	33.1%	128 (78.5%)	6 (3.7%)	26 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	62.4	204^th of 533 public high schools	61.7%		57.5	183^rd of 431 public high schools	57.5%	21	47.4	47.4	47.4	41.7	33.3	50.0	45.8	33.3	58.3	75.0	52.4	66.7	$20,724	$579	$20,145

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus High

What is the racial makeup of Columbus High?

Students at Columbus High are 86% White, 9% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

Is Columbus High a good school?

Columbus High ranks 237^th of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Columbus High?

Columbus High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Columbus Elementary
Middle : Columbus Middle

What district is Columbus High in?

Columbus School District

How many students attend Columbus High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 383 students attended Columbus High.

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Schools in Columbus, WI

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

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

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.