1
Alumni: what's one memory from Central Columbia SHS that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
601
High
DISTRICT 631 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CENTRAL COLUMBIA SD·NCES 420537001619
Central Columbia SHS
4777 Old Berwick Rd, Bloomsburg, PA 17815 · (570) 784-2833 · Columbia County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL601 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 83% of Pennsylvania public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Pennsylvania public high schools
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.8:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
174 students
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 153 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 156 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 137 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 155 | 26% |
Student demographics
19%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 20% · STATE 59% · 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 Central Columbia SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
70.5%
PA avg 51.1% . -7.3pp since 2023
Math
59.1%
PA avg 43.0% . -3.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 59 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 4 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 70.5% | 59.1% |
| 2023-24 | 77.8% | 63.0% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. 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
68.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
65.2%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 65% typical for Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania'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 Central Columbia SHS
Central Columbia SHS's state test result (68.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Columbia SHS this school | 601 | 29.0% | 68.2% |
| Beaver Area SHS Beaver | 650 | 27.8% | 67.2% |
| Dallas SHS Dallas | 745 | 28.9% | 62.7% |
| Kennard-Dale High School Fawn Grove | 755 | 28.6% | 63.6% |
| Montoursville Area SHS Montoursville | 570 | 33.3% | 49.5% |
| Northwestern Lehigh High School New Tripoli | 658 | 25.1% | 65.3% |
Matched among Pennsylvania high 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 Central Columbia SHS ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Columbia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.2% | #82 of 576 | #1 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 59.1% | #117 of 626 ▼ 45 | #3 of 7 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 70.5% | #156 of 626 ▼ 58 | #2 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 601 | #333 of 713 | #3 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #281 of 601 | #7 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 18.7% | #393 of 604 | #4 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 29.0% | #540 of 619 | #6 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +9.5% | #90 of 221 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
601
+6 (+1%) vs 2020
+1% since 1990-91, when it was 597
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 12.9:1
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 | 601 | 44 | 13.7:1 | 29% (174) |
| 2023-24 | 606 | 47 | 12.9:1 | 29% (174) |
| 2022-23 | 597 | 45 | 13.3:1 | 27% (160) |
| 2020-21 | 595 | 46 | 12.9:1 | 20% (120) |
| 2017-18 | 549 | 43 | 12.8:1 | 25% (136) |
| 2015-16 | 495 | 42 | 11.8:1 | 21% (104) |
| 2010-11 | 613 | 46 | 13.3:1 | 14% (83) |
| 2000-01 | 606 | 44 | 13.8:1 | 7% (43) |
| 1990-91 | 597 | 41 | 14.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Columbia SHS.
Since 2017-18: students up 9% (549 to 601); teachers up 2% (43 to 44).
About Central Columbia SHS
Central Columbia SHS is a high school located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, in Columbia County. It covers grades 9 through 12, with a total enrollment of 601 students.
Central Columbia SHS sits within Central Columbia SD, which has 3 schools and 1,893 students.
Most students at Central Columbia SHS are White: 90% of enrollment. Other students are 4% Hispanic, 2% multiracial, and 2% Asian. For comparison, Columbia County is about 91% White. Central Columbia SHS has a diversity index of 19%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Central Columbia SHS's 44 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 13.7:1. For comparison, high schools in Pennsylvania average 12.8:1. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 29%. The rate at public schools in Columbia County averages 56%, higher than here.
Measured against Pennsylvania public high schools, Central Columbia SHS receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Central Columbia SHS would be expected to post about 65.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 68.2%.
Columbia County has about 65,362 residents, and median household income is about $64,644, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Columbia County number 20 and enroll about 7,501.
Central Columbia Middle School is located about 0.1 miles from Central Columbia SHS. Within five miles are 4 other public schools. Its average proficiency rate of 68.2% is above the 59.4% average for nearby schools.
The NCES locale for Central Columbia SHS is Town: Distant, which covers schools in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Central Columbia SHS had 595 students in 2020-21 and 601 in 2024-25, nearly the same.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Central Columbia SHS covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Columbia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
65,362
Census ACS
Median income
$64,644
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
7,501 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Central Columbia SD
- Central Columbia Elementary SchoolElementary · 705 students
- Central Columbia Middle SchoolMiddle · 587 students
Other schools in Bloomsburg
- Central Columbia Elementary SchoolElementary · 705 students
- Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical SchoolHigh · 609 students
- Central Columbia Middle SchoolMiddle · 587 students
- Memorial Elementary SchoolElementary · 405 students
- Bloomsburg Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 380 students
- Bloomsburg Area High SchoolHigh · 362 students
Nearby schools
- Central Columbia Middle School0.1 mi · 587
- Central Columbia Elementary School0.5 mi · 705
- Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School0.6 mi · 609
- Memorial Elementary School4.9 mi · 405
- Bloomsburg Area High School5.1 mi · 362
- Bloomsburg Area Middle School5.1 mi · 380
Frequently asked questions
About Central Columbia SHSHow large is Central Columbia SHS?
Central Columbia SHS enrolls approximately 601 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Central Columbia SHS serve?
Central Columbia SHS serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Columbia SHS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Central Columbia SHS is approximately 13.7:1 (44 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Central Columbia SHS?
Central Columbia SHS reports a student body of 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Central Columbia SHS?
Central Columbia SHS is overseen by Central Columbia SD in Columbia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.