Columbia Elementary

Columbia Elementary is one of the expansive elementary-level communitys in Perris, California, part of Val Verde Unified, with 704 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. That puts it 51% bigger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Within Val Verde Unified, which oversees 22 schools and 19,065 students, Columbia Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Columbia Elementary records that nearly all students (95%) are Hispanic; the rest looks like 3% White. The wider county runs roughly 51% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, Columbia Elementary shows 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 24.7:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 96% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is north of Riverside County's rate of about 74%.

With demographic context factored in, Columbia Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.4%; this one delivers 22.7%.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Riverside County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $93,074 per year, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Columbia Elementary is one of 543 public schools in Riverside County (combined enrollment of about 424,872 students).

The closest other public school is Manuel L. Real Elementary, roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Columbia Elementary ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 27.1%.

The campus sits in an outer-ring setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Columbia Elementary has changed only slightly, going from 719 students in 2018 to 704 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 91% to 95% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 26.6:1 in 2018 to 24.7:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.