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Welcome to the Columbus Elementary community. What's one thing that would make Columbus Elementary even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
441
Elementary
DISTRICT 364 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 271227000593
Columbus Elementary
17345 NOTRE DAME ST, FOREST LAKE, MN 55025 · (651) 982-8900 · Anoka County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL441 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.1:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.9:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
18%
81 students
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 52 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 59 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 60 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 75 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 70 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 66 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 59 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (52) is 12% smaller than its 6th grade class (59).
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 60% · 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
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
62.1%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
65.4%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 65 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. 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
58.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.2%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for Minnesota 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 Minnesota'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 Columbus Elementary
Columbus Elementary's state test result (58.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Elementary this school | 441 | 18.4% | 58.0% |
| Lincoln Elementary WHITE BEAR LAKE | 469 | 18.6% | 66.0% |
| Otter Lake Elementary WHITE BEAR LAKE | 492 | 20.5% | 57.9% |
| AFTON-LAKELAND ELEMENTARY LAKELAND | 437 | 15.8% | 67.4% |
| WestWood Elementary PRIOR LAKE | 505 | 19.6% | 60.1% |
| Snail Lake Kindergarten Center SHOREVIEW | 357 | 17.4% | N/A |
Matched among Minnesota elementary 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 Columbus Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Anoka County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.0% | #178 of 844 | #9 of 45 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 65.4% | #182 of 844 | #12 of 45 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.1% | #158 of 844 | #6 of 45 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 441 | #403 of 1,130 | #34 of 56 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.1:1 | #761 of 769 | #45 of 46 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.3% | #544 of 796 | #44 of 47 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 18.4% | #852 of 942 | #48 of 50 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +21.2% | #51 of 244 | #5 of 14 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
441
+57 (+15%) vs 2020
-27% since 1990-91, when it was 604
Student : Teacher
20.1:1
was 96.0:1
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 | 441 | 21.9 | 20.1:1 | 18% (81) |
| 2023-24 | 426 | 22.9 | 18.6:1 | 21% (90) |
| 2022-23 | 432 | 25.5 | 16.9:1 | 23% (99) |
| 2020-21 | 384 | 4 | 96.0:1 | 12% (46) |
| 2017-18 | 364 | 19 | 19.1:1 | 19% (70) |
| 2015-16 | 380 | 23 | 16.5:1 | 19% (71) |
| 2010-11 | 464 | 24 | 19.3:1 | 20% (94) |
| 2000-01 | 518 | 27 | 19.2:1 | 9% (46) |
| 1990-91 | 604 | 27 | 22.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Columbus Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 21% (364 to 441); teachers up 15% (19 to 21.9).
About Columbus Elementary
Columbus Elementary operates as a mid-sized elementary school in FOREST LAKE, Minnesota. The school has 441 students in 2024-25 across pre-K through 6. By comparison, elementary schools in Minnesota enroll about 344 students on average.
Columbus Elementary is part of Forest Lake Public School District, where 14 schools serve 5,776 students.
At Columbus Elementary, 81% of students are White. The school is also 12% Asian, 3% Hispanic, and 3% multiracial. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 33%.
There are 21.9 full-time-equivalent teachers at Columbus Elementary, giving a ratio of 20.1:1. Elementary schools in Minnesota average 13.7:1, 6.4 fewer students per teacher than here. A total of 81 students, or 18%, are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Public schools in Anoka County average 42%.
Columbus Elementary sits between the top and bottom 10% of Minnesota schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 58.0% and a predicted 55.2%.
In the surrounding county, Anoka County, median household income comes to about $101,869, roughly 32% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Columbus Elementary, Anoka County has 145 public schools.
Columbus Elementary's nearest public school is North Lakes Academy Elementary (about 1.7 miles). The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8.
Columbus Elementary is in rural territory close to an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Fringe.
By 2024-25, enrollment had risen to 441, from 384 in 2020-21. The number of students per teacher dropped from 96.0 to 20.1 over 4 years.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Columbus Elementary. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Anoka County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
370,349
Census ACS
Median income
$101,869
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
145
59,656 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Forest Lake Public School District
- Forest Lake Area High SchoolHigh · 1,805 students
- Forest Lake Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 916 students
- Lino Lakes ElementaryElementary · 501 students
- Wyoming ElementaryElementary · 447 students
- Linwood ElementaryElementary · 400 students
- Forest View ElementaryElementary · 345 students
Other schools in FOREST LAKE
- Forest Lake Area High SchoolHigh · 1,805 students
- Forest Lake Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 916 students
- LILA Lower SchoolElementary · 607 students
- LILA Upper SchoolHigh · 579 students
- Forest View ElementaryElementary · 345 students
- Forest Lake ElementaryMiddle · 309 students
Other Columbus Elementary schools
11 other US public schools in 10 states are named Columbus Elementary. Columbus Elementary is the 7th largest of the 12.
- Columbus Elementary SchoolCOLUMBUS, TX · 798 students
- COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLNEW ROCHELLE, NY · 728 students
- Columbus Elementary SchoolCARTERET, NJ · 642 students
- Columbus ElementaryGlendale, CA · 488 students
- COLUMBUS ELEMENTARYCOLUMBUS, NM · 483 students
Nearby schools
- North Lakes Academy Elementary1.7 mi · 220
- North Lakes Academy Middle School1.7 mi · 148
- North Lakes Academy 7-12 Campus2.3 mi · 245
- Forest Lake Therapeutic Education2.7 mi · 4
- Community School Credit Recovery2.7 mi · 34
- Forest Lake Area Community School2.7 mi · 113
Frequently asked questions
About Columbus ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Columbus Elementary?
Columbus Elementary enrolls approximately 441 students in grades PK-06.
What grades does Columbus Elementary serve?
Columbus Elementary serves grades PK-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary is approximately 20.1:1 (22 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Columbus Elementary?
Student demographics at Columbus Elementary are roughly 81% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 12% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Columbus Elementary public or private?
Columbus Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Forest Lake Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.