1
Enrollment
646
Middle
DISTRICT 502 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·STEGER SD 194·NCES 173768003880
Columbia Central School
94 Richton Rd, Steger, IL 60475 · (708) 753-4700 · Will County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL646 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.4:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
56%
364 students
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 159 | 25% |
| Grade 6 | 165 | 26% |
| Grade 7 | 167 | 26% |
| Grade 8 | 155 | 24% |
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Steger SD 194. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
60.8%
IL avg 51.0% . +11.8pp since 2023
Math
18.1%
IL avg 37.9% . +8.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 18 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 12 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 9 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 60.8% | 18.1% |
| 2023-24 | 49.0% | 9.4% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
33.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.0%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Columbia Central School
Columbia Central School's state test result (33.9% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Central School this school | 646 | 56.3% | 33.9% |
| Viking School Gurnee | 461 | 54.4% | 22.1% |
| A Vito Martinez Middle School Romeoville | 583 | 55.6% | 52.9% |
| Central Middle School Evergreen Park | 560 | 47.3% | 35.9% |
| Huntley Middle School Dekalb | 865 | 63.8% | 22.0% |
| Chute Middle School Evanston | 598 | 50.5% | 51.5% |
Matched among Illinois middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Columbia Central School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Will County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.9% | #395 of 578 | #34 of 39 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 18.1% | #503 of 640 ▲ 41 | #39 of 44 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.8% | #281 of 640 ▲ 17 | #33 of 44 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 646 | #174 of 691 | #19 of 44 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #513 of 558 | #41 of 44 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.6% | #40 of 560 | #3 of 44 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 56.3% | #223 of 581 | #8 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.3% | #127 of 127 | #8 of 8 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
646
+9 (+1%) vs 2020
+109% since 1990-91, when it was 309
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 646 | 39 | 16.6:1 | 56% (364) |
| 2023-24 | 592 | 39 | 15.2:1 | 81% (478) |
| 2022-23 | 616 | 40 | 15.4:1 | 84% (519) |
| 2020-21 | 637 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 644 | 51 | 12.6:1 | 73% (467) |
| 2015-16 | 603 | 52 | 11.6:1 | 76% (457) |
| 2010-11 | 538 | 41 | 13.1:1 | 66% (356) |
| 2000-01 | 316 | 20 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 309 | 19 | 16.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Columbia Central School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (644 to 646); teachers down 23% (51 to 39).
About Columbia Central School
Columbia Central School is a middle-grades school with a street address in Steger, Illinois. Enrollment is 646 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 5 through 8. The average for middle schools in Illinois is about 462 students, so this school is 40% bigger than average.
Steger SD 194 counts 3 schools and 1,507 students, including Columbia Central School.
Federal enrollment data show Hispanic students as the largest group at Columbia Central School, at 40%. Beyond that, enrollment is 32% Black, 18% White, and 9% multiracial. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 20%. Columbia Central School's diversity index is 70%, against a US figure of 70%.
The count of teachers at Columbia Central School is 39 full-time equivalents, for a ratio of 16.6:1. That is 3.6 students per teacher above the 13.0:1 average for middle schools in Illinois. Around 56% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. That rate is above the 44% average among public schools in Will County.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 39.0% for Columbia Central School. The school posts 33.9%, 5.1 points below the prediction.
According to the American Community Survey, in Will County, the median household income is $109,984, roughly 38% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. There are 209 public schools in Will County, enrolling about 113,008 students in all.
Of nearby public schools, Steger Intermediate Center is the closest, at about 0.9 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Columbia Central School. In a group of 7 nearby schools with scores, Columbia Central School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Suburb: Large: in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's size has been steady, with 637 students in 2020-21 and 646 in 2024-25.
Parents and students can post about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater at Columbia Central School. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Will County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
701,462
Census ACS
Median income
$109,984
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
209
113,008 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Steger SD 194
- Steger Intermediate CenterElementary · 465 students
- Steger Primary CenterElementary · 396 students
Nearby schools
- Steger Intermediate Center0.9 mi · 465
- Crete Elementary School1.1 mi · 381
- Steger Primary Center1.2 mi · 396
- Crete-Monee High School1.4 mi · 1,480
- Crete-Monee Early Childhood Cntr1.4 mi · 256
- U S Grant Elementary School2.0 mi · 147
Frequently asked questions
About Columbia Central SchoolHow many students attend Columbia Central School?
Columbia Central School enrolls approximately 646 students in grades 05-08.
What grades does Columbia Central School serve?
Columbia Central School serves grades 05-08.
How many teachers does Columbia Central School have?
Columbia Central School employs 39 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Columbia Central School?
At Columbia Central School, the student body is approximately 18% White, 40% Hispanic, 32% Black, 0% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees Columbia Central School?
Columbia Central School is overseen by Steger SD 194 in Will County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.