1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Southern Columbia MS right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
367
Middle
DISTRICT 398 · STATE 594
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTHERN COLUMBIA AREA SD·NCES 422226000558
Southern Columbia Middle School
810 Southern Drive, Catawissa, PA 17820 · (570) 356-3400 · Columbia County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL367 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 83% of Pennsylvania public middle schools
- A-Test 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
140 students
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 75%
Community
1
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 | 78 | 21% |
| Grade 6 | 98 | 27% |
| Grade 7 | 85 | 23% |
| Grade 8 | 106 | 29% |
Student demographics
10%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 11% · 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
Students here typically continue to
Southern Columbia Middle School→Southern Columbia High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Southern Columbia Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
59.9%
PA avg 51.1% . -14.2pp since 2023
Math
52.2%
PA avg 43.0% . -0.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 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 14 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 59.9% | 52.2% |
| 2023-24 | 74.1% | 52.4% |
% 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
60.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
61.3%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 61% 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 Southern Columbia Middle School
Southern Columbia Middle School's state test result (60.7% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Columbia Middle School this school | 367 | 38.1% | 60.7% |
| Slippery Rock Area Middle School Slippery Rock | 404 | 39.4% | 62.6% |
| Maple Avenue Middle School Littlestown | 413 | 38.0% | 37.7% |
| Central Cambria Middle School Ebensburg | 347 | 42.9% | 57.1% |
| Charles A Huston Middle School Lower Burrell | 399 | 42.6% | 35.3% |
| South Eastern Middle School Fawn Grove | 399 | 34.8% | 45.2% |
Matched among Pennsylvania 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 Southern Columbia Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 60.7% | #95 of 479 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #102 of 513 ▼ 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.9% | #150 of 513 ▼ 90 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 367 | #389 of 522 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.5:1 | #297 of 486 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 10.0% | #464 of 486 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 38.1% | #354 of 510 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -20.4% | #64 of 332 |
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
367
-55 (-13%) vs 2020
-28% since 2000-01, when it was 508
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
was 15.1:1
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 | 367 | 27.1 | 13.5:1 | 38% (140) |
| 2023-24 | 382 | 28.4 | 13.4:1 | 37% (140) |
| 2022-23 | 401 | 25.9 | 15.5:1 | 24% (95) |
| 2020-21 | 422 | 28 | 15.1:1 | 27% (116) |
| 2017-18 | 461 | 29.9 | 15.4:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 461 | 31 | 14.9:1 | 20% (94) |
| 2010-11 | 462 | 31 | 14.9:1 | 29% (134) |
| 2000-01 | 508 | 31 | 16.4:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Southern Columbia Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 20% (461 to 367); teachers down 9% (29.9 to 27.1).
About Southern Columbia Middle School
Southern Columbia Middle School is a public low-enrollment middle-grades school in Catawissa, Pennsylvania. Its enrollment is 367 students, spread over grades 5 through 8. Across middle schools in Pennsylvania, the average enrollment is about 594.
Federal data list 3 schools in Southern Columbia Area SD, with 1,195 students enrolled.
White students account for 95% of the school's enrollment. Other reported shares: 2% Hispanic. Among Columbia County residents, the White share is about 91%. A diversity index of 10% means there is a 10% chance two randomly chosen students at Southern Columbia Middle School are from different groups.
Southern Columbia Middle School has 27.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of about 13.5:1. The average for middle schools in Pennsylvania is about 13.2:1. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, often used to gauge student poverty, is 38%. That rate is below the 56% average among public schools in Columbia County.
Southern Columbia Middle School holds an A- allk12 Grade, placing it above 83% of Pennsylvania public middle schools.
Southern Columbia Middle School's average proficiency rate across its state test results of 60.7% is within a point of the 61.3% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.
For Columbia County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $64,644 a year, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of people live in poverty. Counting Southern Columbia Middle School, Columbia County has 20 public schools.
The closest school to Southern Columbia Middle School is Southern Columbia High School, located less than a tenth of a mile away. Southern Columbia Middle School is one of several public schools in the area, with 2 others within five miles. Local comparison: Southern Columbia Middle School ranks 3rd of 6 nearby schools, at 60.7% versus a 57.5% average.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Distant.
Over 4 years, enrollment decreased by 55 students, from 422 to 367. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 15.1:1; by 2024-25 it was 13.5:1.
Southern Columbia Middle School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 Southern Columbia Area SD
- Hartman El CenterElementary · 480 students
- Southern Columbia High SchoolHigh · 348 students
Other schools in Catawissa
- Hartman El CenterElementary · 480 students
- Southern Columbia High SchoolHigh · 348 students
Nearby schools
- Southern Columbia High School0.0 mi · 348
- Hartman El Center0.1 mi · 480
- Danville Center Adolescent Female6.1 mi · 45
- North Central Secure Trmnt Unt6.1 mi · 43
- W W Evans Memorial Elementary School6.1 mi · 250
- Bloomsburg Area High School6.3 mi · 362
Frequently asked questions
About Southern Columbia Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Southern Columbia Middle School?
Southern Columbia Middle School enrolls approximately 367 students in grades 05-08.
What grades does Southern Columbia Middle School serve?
Southern Columbia Middle School serves grades 05-08.
How many teachers does Southern Columbia Middle School have?
Southern Columbia Middle School employs 27 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.5:1.
How diverse is Southern Columbia Middle School?
Southern Columbia Middle School reports a student body of 95% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Southern Columbia Middle School?
Southern Columbia Middle School is overseen by Southern Columbia Area SD in Columbia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.