Columbia Elementary

As a mid-tier K-5 school in Columbia, California, Columbia Elementary teaches 464 students from grades K through 8, part of Columbia Union.

Operationally, Columbia Elementary answers to Columbia Union, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

Looking at the student body, Columbia Elementary reports that 69% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder reads as 20% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 3% Native American. By comparison, Tuolumne County as a whole is about 81% White, so the school skews considerably less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. About 65% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Tuolumne County (around 50%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Columbia Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 40.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 34.7%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Tuolumne County) reports that median household earnings sit near $77,404, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Columbia Elementary is one of 30 public schools in Tuolumne County (combined enrollment of about 5,724 students).

Sonora High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 3.0 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 7 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Columbia Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, below the local average of 36.5%.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 6%: 495 students in 2018 compared to 464 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 12% to 20% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 20.6:1 in 2018 to 17.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for Columbia Elementary typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.