Columbia County

Columbia County is a suburban school district in Georgia serving 28,516 students across 31 schools with a relatively stable enrollment, declining 0.6% from the prior year. The district operates 17 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, and 5 high schools with 1,841 teachers and a student-teacher ratio of 15.5:1.

Academic performance exceeds state averages substantially. Math proficiency stands at 58.7% compared to the state average of 38.7%, while reading proficiency reaches 58.8% against a state average of 36.7%. The graduation rate of 93.4% surpasses Georgia's 90.9% state average. The dropout rate of 1.2% is relatively low, though chronic absenteeism at 13.4% represents an area of concern.

The student population includes 41.0% economically disadvantaged students, 4.0% English learners, and 11.8% students with disabilities. Racially, the district is 51.7% White, 22.5% Black, 12.4% Hispanic, and 4.6% Asian.

Per-pupil spending of $10,879.45 is notably lower than the state average of $13,122, with a total annual budget of $338.6 million. Revenue sources are balanced between state (46.1%) and local (46.4%) contributions, with federal funding comprising 7.5%. This funding structure reflects a moderate reliance on local resources while maintaining below-average per-student expenditures relative to state benchmarks.