Mary Raber Elementary School

Mary Raber Elementary School is a K-5 school of modestly sized scale in Columbia City, Indiana, one of the schools within Whitley County Con Schools, instructing 297 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 436 students per school, that is 32% below typical.

Whitley County Con Schools runs 7 schools in total, collectively educating 3,686 students. Mary Raber Elementary School is one of those campuses.

On demographics, Mary Raber Elementary School reports that nearly all students (91%) are White. Beyond that, the school records 3% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.5:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. Around 33% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Mary Raber Elementary School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 52.4%; actual is 24.4%, a gap of -28.0 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Whitley County put median household earnings sit near $78,083, roughly 24% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Whitley County's 12 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,594 students), Mary Raber Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Eagleview Online is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.8 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 5 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Mary Raber Elementary School at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 40.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 16%: 355 students in 2018 compared to 297 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.