Columbus Elementary

Summary:

Columbus Elementary is a public elementary school located in Forest Lake, Minnesota, serving grades PK-6 with a student population of 432. The school is part of the Forest Lake Public School District, which is ranked 193 out of 463 districts in Minnesota and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbus Elementary consistently ranks among the top 25% of Minnesota elementary schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in MCA-III Math and Reading assessments are significantly higher than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 70.34% of Columbus Elementary students were proficient or better in MCA-III Math, compared to 50.03% for the district and 45.47% for the state. Columbus Elementary also outperforms the district and state in MCA-III Science assessments, with 55.17% of students proficient or better in 2023-2024, compared to 44.55% for the district and 39.56% for the state.

While Columbus Elementary has a higher percentage of White students (80.56%) compared to the nearby schools, which range from 65.99% to 86.07% White students, it also has a significant Asian student population at 12.04%, higher than the surrounding schools, which range from 3.15% to 9.28% Asian students. Additionally, Columbus Elementary has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 22.92% in the 2022-2023 school year, compared to the nearby schools, which range from 21.86% to 49.72%. The school's student-teacher ratio of 16.9 in the 2022-2023 school year is also lower than the nearby schools, which range from 11.1 to 26.1.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 17345 Notre Dame St
       Forest Lake, MN  55025-8872


(651) 982-8900

District: Forest Lake Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
156th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,912 Help


Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Forest Lake Area Middle School
High:    Forest Lake Area High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.9 Help
Number of students:  432

Racial breakdown:

White:
80.6%
Asian:
12.0%
Hispanic:
3.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  22.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Columbus Elementary ranks better than 82.3% of elementary schools in Minnesota. It also ranks first among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Forest Lake Public School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 78.41. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (80.6%), Asian (12%), Hispanic (3.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 22.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary is 16.9. 4 elementary schools in the Forest Lake Public School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare Columbus Elementary employs 25.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Columbus Elementary is $11,912, which is the 2nd highest among 5 elementary schools in the Forest Lake Public School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Columbus Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbus Elementary 156th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Columbus Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
White students:


Forest Lake Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Forest Lake Public School District 193rd of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Columbus Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 68.48 196th 674 70.9%
2004 69.71 188th 676 72.2%
2005 63.66 252nd 685 63.2%
2006 80.56 80th 756 89.4%
2007 80.70 77th 777 90.1%
2008 77.69 107th 781 86.3%
2010 76.36 119th 803 85.2%
2011 75.29 151st 814 81.4%
2012 69.14 246th 820 70.0%
2013 69.08 250th 824 69.7%
2014 81.50 87th 826 89.5%
2015 76.02 172nd 840 79.5%
2016 73.54 208th 848 75.5%
2017 71.62 243rd 853 71.5%
2018 74.65 194th 847 77.1%
2019 73.03 216th 870 75.2%
2021 80.46 128th 869 85.3%
2022 73.25 223rd 858 74.0%
2023 71.83 230th 845 72.8%
2024 78.41 156th 881 82.3%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 66.45 145th 515 71.8%
2021 70.97 81st 417 80.6%
2022 72.59 100th 500 80.0%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 77.29 99th 728 86.4%
2019 80.75 73rd 740 90.1%
2021 69.42 169th 683 75.3%
2023 69.61 187th 774 75.8%
2024 77.75 113th 793 85.8%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.78 285th 774 63.2%
2019 71.82 208th 787 73.6%
2021 82.63 79th 783 89.9%
2022 72.55 205th 799 74.3%
2023 76.81 159th 787 79.8%
2024 81.60 100th 809 87.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 75.54 163rd 779 79.1%
2019 68.95 248th 798 68.9%
2021 73.45 178th 784 77.3%
2022 70.75 228th 808 71.8%
2023 57.65 359th 799 55.1%
2024 68.65 234th 826 71.7%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 52.68 70th 154 54.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for White students at Columbus Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 58.88 284th 712 60.1%
2019 56.27 323rd 722 55.3%
2021 73.30 150th 710 78.9%
2022 62.57 246th 725 66.1%
2023 66.61 201st 712 71.8%
2024 70.40 179th 730 75.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Columbus Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 







Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Columbus Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 768 1 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 773
1989 760 2 1 3 6 n/a n/a 0 772
1990 555 1 1 1 4 n/a n/a 0 562
1991 596 2 2 1 3 n/a n/a 0 604
1992 555 3 1 1 0 n/a n/a 0 560
1993 573 1 5 0 0 n/a n/a 0 579
1994 540 3 5 0 2 n/a n/a 0 550
1995 545 1 9 0 1 n/a n/a 0 556
1996 545 1 9 0 1 n/a n/a 0 556
1997 550 0 8 0 5 n/a n/a 0 563
1998 527 0 9 0 2 n/a n/a 0 538
1999 504 0 7 0 5 n/a n/a 0 516
2000 471 2 5 0 6 n/a n/a 0 484
2001 506 2 7 0 3 n/a n/a 0 518
2002 487 0 12 1 1 n/a n/a 0 501
2003 487 0 12 1 1 n/a n/a 0 501
2004 477 3 14 2 1 n/a n/a 0 497
2005 465 1 15 0 1 n/a n/a 0 482
2006 424 2 22 1 4 n/a n/a 0 453
2007 419 4 13 9 2 n/a n/a 0 447
2008 400 8 18 6 2 n/a n/a 0 434
2009 435 20 13 10 1 n/a n/a 0 479
2010 421 13 18 13 5 n/a n/a 0 470
2011 422 3 21 3 2 0 13 0 464
2012 420 2 23 2 1 0 21 0 469
2013 395 1 20 4 1 0 22 0 443
2014 363 0 21 5 1 0 20 0 410
2015 359 1 19 4 1 0 19 0 403
2016 333 1 19 3 1 0 23 0 380
2017 326 2 19 4 2 0 24 0 377
2018 314 1 21 5 2 0 21 0 364
2019 316 2 22 7 3 0 18 0 368
2020 309 4 25 9 2 0 13 0 362
2021 319 10 27 14 2 0 12 0 384
2022 320 6 45 8 3 0 12 0 394
2023 348 4 52 14 1 0 13 0 432

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Columbus Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 773 32.9 23.4 6.5
1989 772 37.9 20.3 5.6
1990 562 32.5 17.2 4.6
1991 604 27.7 21.8 8.9
1992 560 27.1 20.6 10.7
1993 579 29.5 19.6 7.3
1994 550 30.0 18.3 7.5
1995 556 31.8 17.5 8.3
1996 556 31.8 17.5 8.3
1997 563 29.5 19.1 9.2
1998 538 n/a 0.0 9.5
1999 516 37.2 13.9 7.8
2000 484 32.2 15.0 9.5
2001 518 27.1 19.1 8.9
2002 501 23.4 21.4 7.4
2003 501 23.4 21.4 7.4
2004 497 27.1 18.3 10.7
2005 482 23.5 20.5 11.6
2006 453 21.4 21.2 12.8
2007 447 22.8 19.6 12.1
2008 434 23.4 18.5 12.4
2009 479 26.3 18.2 19.4
2010 470 26.0 18.0 21.3
2011 464 24.7 18.7 20.3
2012 469 24.1 19.4 19.4
2013 443 24.0 18.4 22.1
2014 410 24.6 16.6 24.4
2015 403 22.0 18.3 20.1
2016 380 24.0 15.8 18.7
2017 377 22.5 16.7 18.8
2018 364 19.0 19.1 19.2
2019 368 20.8 17.6 17.1
2020 362 19.3 18.7 15.5
2021 384 4.0 96.0 12
2022 394 18.9 20.8 10.2
2023 432 25.5 16.9 22.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Columbus Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 773 32.9 23.4 6.5
1989 772 37.9 20.3 5.6
1990 562 32.5 17.2 4.6
1991 604 27.7 21.8 8.9
1992 560 27.1 20.6 10.7
1993 579 29.5 19.6 7.3
1994 550 30.0 18.3 7.5
1995 556 31.8 17.5 8.3
1996 556 31.8 17.5 8.3
1997 563 29.5 19.1 9.2
1998 538 n/a 0.0 9.5
1999 516 37.2 13.9 7.8
2000 484 32.2 15.0 9.5
2001 518 27.1 19.1 8.9
2002 501 23.4 21.4 7.4
2003 501 23.4 21.4 7.4
2004 497 27.1 18.3 10.7
2005 482 23.5 20.5 11.6
2006 453 21.4 21.2 12.8
2007 447 22.8 19.6 12.1
2008 434 23.4 18.5 12.4
2009 479 26.3 18.2 19.4
2010 470 26.0 18.0 21.3
2011 464 24.7 18.7 20.3
2012 469 24.1 19.4 19.4
2013 443 24.0 18.4 22.1
2014 410 24.6 16.6 24.4
2015 403 22.0 18.3 20.1
2016 380 24.0 15.8 18.7
2017 377 22.5 16.7 18.8
2018 364 19.0 19.1 19.2
2019 368 20.8 17.6 17.1
2020 362 19.3 18.7 15.5
2021 384 4.0 96.0 12
2022 394 18.9 20.8 10.2
2023 432 25.5 16.9 22.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Columbus Elementary

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $11,912

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Columbus Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 216th of 870 Elementary schoolsRanks 230th of 845 Elementary schools
 2.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Columbus Elementary)73.268.3
 4.9%
   3rd Grade Math (Forest Lake Public School District)65.262.5
 2.7%
   3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)65.659.1
 6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Columbus Elementary)61.856.7
 5.2%
   3rd Grade Reading (Forest Lake Public School District)50.548.1
 2.4%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)54.647.4
 7.2%
4th Grade Math (Columbus Elementary)72.275.4
 3.2%
   4th Grade Math (Forest Lake Public School District)60.459.5
 0.9%
   4th Grade Math (Minnesota)63.957.1
 6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Columbus Elementary)54.659.7
 5.1%
   4th Grade Reading (Forest Lake Public School District)51.547.1
 4.5%
   4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)55.448.4
 7.1%
5th Grade Math (Columbus Elementary)79.260.4
 18.8%
   5th Grade Math (Forest Lake Public School District)5851.3
 6.7%
   5th Grade Math (Minnesota)5244.4
 7.6%
5th Grade Reading (Columbus Elementary)79.257.1
 22%
   5th Grade Reading (Forest Lake Public School District)65.164.7
 0.4%
   5th Grade Reading (Minnesota)65.858.7
 7%
5th Grade Science (Columbus Elementary)64.650
 14.6%
   5th Grade Science (Forest Lake Public School District)58.857.8
 1%
   5th Grade Science (Minnesota)54.948.4
 6.5%
6th Grade Math (Columbus Elementary)59.246.9
 12.3%
   6th Grade Math (Forest Lake Public School District)51.140.8
 10.3%
   6th Grade Math (Minnesota)50.539.7
 10.8%
6th Grade Reading (Columbus Elementary)68.654.7
 13.9%
   6th Grade Reading (Forest Lake Public School District)6656.8
 9.2%
   6th Grade Reading (Minnesota)62.853.4
 9.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students368432
 17.4%
African American24
 100%
American Indian31
 66.7%
Asian2252
 136.4%
Hispanic714
 100%
Pacific Islander00
White316348
 10.1%
Two or More Races1813
 27.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients17.1%22.9%
 5.8%


Schools Near Columbus Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus Elementary

Students at Columbus Elementary are 81% White, 12% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Columbus Elementary ranks 156th of 881 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Forest Lake Area Middle School
High : Forest Lake Area High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 432 students attended Columbus Elementary.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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