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Columbus Elementary

Q: Is Columbus Elementary a good school?

Columbus Elementary ranks 555 th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

555^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Columbus Elementary is a public elementary school serving 438 students in grades PK-5 in Columbus, Wisconsin, which is part of the Columbus School District. While the school has some areas of strength, it faces several challenges, including lower overall student achievement and rising chronic absenteeism.

On the Forward Exam, Columbus Elementary's student performance lags behind the state and district averages across most grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, only 27.45% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 39.13% for the district and 52.14% for the state. However, the school performs better in certain areas, such as 4th and 5th grade mathematics, where proficiency rates exceed the district and state averages. Additionally, the school's Hispanic and English Language Learner students perform exceptionally well, ranking among the top schools in the state for these subgroups.

Comparing Columbus Elementary to nearby schools, the Discovery Charter School, which is part of the same district, outperforms Columbus Elementary on several key metrics, including higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics for 3rd graders. Additionally, neighboring schools in the Beaver Dam Unified School District, such as Washington Elementary and Lincoln Elementary, generally have higher student performance and lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to Columbus Elementary. The nearby Fall River Elementary also has significantly stronger student performance across multiple grade levels and subjects, suggesting that location and district factors may play a role in school outcomes.

425

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,706

Per pupil spending ?

34.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Fuller St
Columbus, WI 53925-1647

(920) 623-5950

District: Columbus School District

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Columbus Middle
High:	Columbus High

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.9%

Hispanic:

10.1%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2023 → 47th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2023

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

!English Language Arts scores 10 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg55%

Wisconsin avg54%

555^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 16 pts since 2023

From top 37% (2023) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

156^th of 426Columbus 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
2025	52.8	555 of 1044	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.0	440 of 1061	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	396 of 1067	62.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	86.9	18 of 269	93.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	662 of 1001	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.8	468 of 1011	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	351 of 1010	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	77.1	59 of 331	82.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	430 of 870	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	293 of 866	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.6	275 of 871	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	486 of 1000	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.6	358 of 1012	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	387 of 1011	61.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	601 of 802	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.6	365 of 790	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.8	135 of 770	82.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	453 of 718	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.6	396 of 727	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.7	394 of 715	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)93rd percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2024)82nd percentile+24 vs school

Male (2025)51st percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)37th percentile-10 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2025)25th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies72%+8 vs state

Science59%+9 vs state

Mathematics57%+3 vs state

English Language Arts41%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbus Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)				Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)				Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Forward Exam Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Fuller St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 623-5950	425	34	12.3	34.8%	348 (81.9%)	8 (1.9%)	43 (10.1%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	52.8	555^th of 1044 public elementary schools	46.8%		63	440^th of 1061 public elementary schools	58.5%	115	27.5	43.2	49.3		39.2	58.1	68.0		71.6	59.5	$11,706	$473	$11,233
Discovery Charter School	Public, Charter	K-3	200 Fuller St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 623-5950	71	6	12.0	23.9%	58 (81.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.6%)								(n/a)	70.6				82.4						$11,950	$563	$11,386
Fall River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 Bradley St	Fall River	53932	Columbia County	Fall River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 484-3333	231	19	12.0	29.4%	195 (84.4%)	3 (1.3%)	17 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.1%)	79	177^th of 1044 public elementary schools	83.0%		70.2	320^th of 1061 public elementary schools	69.8%	143	70.4	64.9	63.2		85.2	70.3	68.4		83.8	59.5	$12,243	$851	$11,393
Waterloo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	785 N Monroe St	Waterloo	53594	Jefferson County	Waterloo School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 478-2168	281	24	11.4	43.8%	189 (67.3%)	3 (1.1%)	77 (27.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	49	596^th of 1044 public elementary schools	42.9%		24	857^th of 1061 public elementary schools	19.2%	261	44.7	54.8			42.6	54.8			66.7	52.4	$12,710	$682	$12,027
Marshall Early Learning Center	Public	PK, KG-2	369 School St	Marshall	53559	Dane County	Marshall School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 655-1588	251	21	11.8	43.4%	160 (63.7%)	13 (5.2%)	53 (21.1%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.8%)								(n/a)											$12,495	$1,843	$10,652
Marshall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	617 Madison St	Marshall	53559	Dane County	Marshall School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 655-4403	246	21	11.6	45.9%	151 (61.4%)	17 (6.9%)	54 (22.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.5%)	45	657^th of 1044 public elementary schools	37.1%		48.2	639^th of 1061 public elementary schools	39.8%	18	38.0	49.3	40.6	36.7	52.0	58.9	65.6	22.5	64.4	48.0	$11,434	$973	$10,460
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Brook St	Beaver Dam	53916	Dodge County	Beaver Dam Unified School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 885-7392	328	31	10.4	61.3%	188 (57.3%)	5 (1.5%)	111 (33.8%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.1%)	50.5	581^st of 1044 public elementary schools	44.3%		49.3	631^st of 1061 public elementary schools	40.5%	50	64.2	50.0	40.7		66.0	41.3	55.6		56.5	43.5	$14,324	$768	$13,556
Wilson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	405 W Third St	Beaver Dam	53916	Dodge County	Beaver Dam Unified School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 885-7373	41	10	4.1	75.6%	33 (80.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (9.8%)	61.3	437^th of 1044 public elementary schools	58.1%		63	438^th of 1061 public elementary schools	58.7%	1	88.9	54.6	50.0		66.7	54.6	62.5		54.6	54.6	$14,381	$635	$13,745
Washington Elementary	Public	K-5	600 Grove St	Beaver Dam	53916	Dodge County	Beaver Dam Unified School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 885-7376	260	16	16.4	52.7%	198 (76.2%)	1 (0.4%)	39 (15.0%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	88.1	54^th of 1044 public elementary schools	94.8%		78.8	177^th of 1061 public elementary schools	83.3%	123	74.4	77.8	73.8		81.4	94.4	90.5		83.3	61.1	$15,002	$550	$14,451
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-5	210 Gould St	Beaver Dam	53916	Dodge County	Beaver Dam Unified School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 885-7396	201	19	10.4	66.2%	126 (62.7%)	2 (1.0%)	53 (26.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (10.0%)	49.2	593^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	43.2%		42.9	696^th of 1061 public elementary schools	34.4%	103	51.3	51.7	51.9		64.1	41.4	60.7		51.7	37.9	$8,836	$618	$8,217

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Columbus Elementary?

Students at Columbus Elementary are 82% White, 10% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Columbus Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 425 students attended Columbus Elementary.

What district is Columbus Elementary in?

Columbus School District

Is Columbus Elementary a good school?

Columbus Elementary ranks 555^th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Columbus Elementary attend?

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbus Middle
High : Columbus High

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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.