Is Columbia High School a good school?

Columbia High School ranks 309 th of 437 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Columbia High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 223 students attended Columbia High School.

What is the racial makeup of Columbia High School?

Students at Columbia High School are 48% Hispanic, 48% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools feed into Columbia High School?

Columbia High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Columbia Elementary Middle : Columbia Middle School

Columbia High School

Summary:

Columbia High School is a public high school located in Burbank, Washington, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 211. The school is part of the Columbia (Walla Walla) School District, which is ranked 217 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's racial makeup is predominantly White (49.29%) and Hispanic (44.08%).

Columbia High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Washington high schools, with a ranking of 309 out of 437 schools in the 2023-2024 school year and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated significantly, dropping from 87.0% in 2019-2020 to 64.9% in 2020-2021, before rebounding to 86.0% in 2022-2023. Correspondingly, the school's dropout rate has been high, ranging from 3.7% in 2019-2020 to 21.0% in 2020-2021, and 9.3% in the most recent 2022-2023 school year. Columbia High School's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on state assessments, is significantly below the state and district averages, with only 32.69% of students proficient in math in 2023-2024, compared to the state average of 41.68%. The school also has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, ranging from 51.43% in 2020-2021 to 56.4% in 2022-2023.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Kamiakin High School, which has a much higher statewide ranking (102 out of 437 schools) and a 89.1% four-year graduation rate, Columbia High School consistently underperforms. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students performing relatively well, ranking 85 out of 248 high schools in the state in 2023-2024, while the school's performance for female students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is much lower, ranking 177 and 269 out of 347 and 356 high schools, respectively. Over the past several years, Columbia High School's statewide ranking has declined, from a high of 109 out of 315 schools in 2017-2018 to its current ranking of 309 out of 437 schools in 2023-2024, suggesting that the school is struggling to keep pace with other high schools in the state.

Detail:

Public 9-12

787 Maple Street
Burbank, WA 99323

(509) 545-8573

District: Columbia (Walla Walla) School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
309^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,936

Feeder schools for Columbia High School:

Elementary:	Columbia Elementary
Middle:	Columbia Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.3

Number of students: 223

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.4%

White:

47.5%

Two or more races:

2.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 58.3%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Columbia High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Columbia High School ranks worse than 70.7% of high schools in Washington. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 30.76. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Columbia High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (48.4%), White (47.5%), two or more races (2.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 58.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Columbia High School is 16.3. (See more...)

Compare Columbia High School employs 13.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Columbia High School is $20,936.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Columbia High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbia High School 309^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Columbia High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Columbia (Walla Walla) School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Columbia (Walla Walla) School District 217^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Columbia High School.

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Rank History for Columbia High School

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Rank History for all students at Columbia High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	39.56	260^th	390	33.3%
2005	46.59	241^st	394	38.8%
2006	26.12	315^th	395	20.3%
2007	55.16	201^st	399	49.6%
2008	60.13	175^th	396	55.8%
2009	50.09	230^th	402	42.8%
2010	57.93	202^nd	423	52.2%
2011	37.18	288^th	440	34.5%
2012	49.14	255^th	450	43.3%
2013	54.89	228^th	454	49.8%
2015	53.23	135^th	341	60.4%
2016	60.74	132^nd	306	56.9%
2017	44.23	193^rd	301	35.9%
2018	65.09	109^th	315	65.4%
2019	34.66	291^st	417	30.2%
2021	29.50	325^th	455	28.6%
2022	40.65	258^th	434	40.6%
2023	14.21	404^th	442	8.6%
2024	30.76	309^th	437	29.3%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Columbia High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	73.81	35^th	227	84.6%
2019	40.12	222^nd	344	35.5%
2021	31.37	284^th	392	27.6%
2022	41.92	216^th	370	41.6%
2023	9.03	354^th	362	2.2%
2024	28.97	269^th	356	24.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Columbia High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	60.69	102^nd	243	58.0%
2019	47.60	202^nd	358	43.6%
2021	31.68	270^th	390	30.8%
2022	37.10	241^st	368	34.5%
2023	12.12	338^th	357	5.3%
2024	48.56	177^th	347	49.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Columbia High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	59.38	108^th	254	57.5%
2019	36.66	241^st	355	32.1%
2021	26.72	304^th	395	23.0%
2022	52.88	164^th	363	54.8%
2023	18.43	302^nd	358	15.6%
2024	16.20	320^th	362	11.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Columbia High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	19.41	211^th	241	12.4%
2021	27.29	211^th	278	24.1%
2022	48.36	120^th	261	54.0%
2023	9.02	244^th	249	2.0%
2024	59.14	85^th	248	65.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Columbia High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	63.71	84^th	222	62.2%
2019	36.48	267^th	382	30.1%
2021	31.16	294^th	413	28.8%
2022	38.84	249^th	390	36.2%
2023	26.20	301^st	379	20.6%
2024	41.86	228^th	374	39.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, 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.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

100%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I attended this school, and graduated in 1998. I am sure much has changed. At the time, many of the teachers were excellent, but the funding and programs were limited. As a result, the instructional quality was high, but the opportunities were low. Overall, average school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Columbia High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	229	0	4	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	244
1989	222	0	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	229
1990	229	0	0	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	241
1991	247	2	2	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	263
1992	256	2	1	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	270
1993	274	2	4	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
1994	273	0	0	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	287
1995	252	0	2	30	1	n/a	n/a	0	285
1996	252	0	2	30	1	n/a	n/a	0	285
1997	245	0	1	30	2	n/a	n/a	0	278
1998	237	0	1	31	2	n/a	n/a	0	271
1999	244	0	0	34	2	n/a	n/a	0	280
2000	225	0	2	39	4	n/a	n/a	0	270
2001	235	0	3	51	5	n/a	n/a	0	294
2002	233	0	2	47	2	n/a	n/a	0	284
2003	233	0	2	47	2	n/a	n/a	0	284
2004	246	0	3	49	3	n/a	n/a	0	301
2005	228	1	3	51	4	n/a	n/a	0	287
2006	235	1	1	60	2	n/a	n/a	1	300
2007	255	1	3	54	2	n/a	n/a	0	315
2008	259	2	2	62	1	n/a	n/a	0	326
2009	250	1	1	58	0	n/a	n/a	0	310
2010	248	4	3	65	4	n/a	n/a	0	324
2011	232	2	1	65	3	2	4	0	309
2012	224	2	2	75	3	2	3	0	311
2013	213	2	2	68	1	0	11	0	297
2014	208	0	2	70	4	0	13	0	297
2015	204	0	2	64	3	0	14	0	287
2016	203	2	5	71	2	0	10	0	293
2017	170	1	1	77	3	0	9	0	261
2018	146	2	0	72	1	0	7	0	228
2019	131	1	3	85	1	0	7	0	228
2020	125	3	2	84	1	0	11	0	226
2021	106	2	1	91	1	0	9	0	210
2022	96	4	2	91	2	0	4	0	199
2023	104	5	2	93	1	0	6	0	211
2024	106	3	0	108	1	0	5	0	223

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 Columbia High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	244	15.0	16.2	0
1989	229	13.0	17.6	n/a
1990	241	13.4	17.9	0
1991	263	14.7	17.8	n/a
1992	270	14.5	18.6	n/a
1993	295	14.5	20.3	n/a
1994	287	14.0	20.5	n/a
1995	285	14.9	19.1	n/a
1996	285	14.9	19.1	n/a
1997	278	15.6	17.8	n/a
1998	271	15.0	18.1	n/a
1999	280	14.6	19.2	n/a
2000	270	14.4	18.8	n/a
2001	294	14.8	19.9	n/a
2002	284	15.5	18.3	16.2
2003	284	15.5	18.3	16.2
2004	301	18.0	16.7	18.9
2005	287	17.8	16.1	25.8
2006	300	17.0	17.6	22.1
2007	315	17.0	18.5	31.1
2008	326	16.3	20.0	29.1
2009	310	16.3	19.0	36.1
2010	324	16.9	19.1	35.5
2011	309	15.3	20.1	45.6
2012	311	14.4	21.5	44.4
2013	297	15.6	18.9	44.8
2014	297	n/a	n/a	43.1
2015	287	14.0	20.5	38.3
2016	293	13.0	22.5	39.9
2017	261	13.7	19.0	45.2
2018	228	13.4	17.0	46.5
2019	228	13.7	16.6	52.6
2020	226	13.5	16.7	50.4
2021	210	12.5	16.8	51.4
2022	199	12.5	15.9	56.8
2023	211	12.6	16.6	56.4
2024	223	13.6	16.3	58.3

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 Columbia High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	244	15.0	16.2	0
1989	229	13.0	17.6	n/a
1990	241	13.4	17.9	0
1991	263	14.7	17.8	n/a
1992	270	14.5	18.6	n/a
1993	295	14.5	20.3	n/a
1994	287	14.0	20.5	n/a
1995	285	14.9	19.1	n/a
1996	285	14.9	19.1	n/a
1997	278	15.6	17.8	n/a
1998	271	15.0	18.1	n/a
1999	280	14.6	19.2	n/a
2000	270	14.4	18.8	n/a
2001	294	14.8	19.9	n/a
2002	284	15.5	18.3	16.2
2003	284	15.5	18.3	16.2
2004	301	18.0	16.7	18.9
2005	287	17.8	16.1	25.8
2006	300	17.0	17.6	22.1
2007	315	17.0	18.5	31.1
2008	326	16.3	20.0	29.1
2009	310	16.3	19.0	36.1
2010	324	16.9	19.1	35.5
2011	309	15.3	20.1	45.6
2012	311	14.4	21.5	44.4
2013	297	15.6	18.9	44.8
2014	297	n/a	n/a	43.1
2015	287	14.0	20.5	38.3
2016	293	13.0	22.5	39.9
2017	261	13.7	19.0	45.2
2018	228	13.4	17.0	46.5
2019	228	13.7	16.6	52.6
2020	226	13.5	16.7	50.4
2021	210	12.5	16.8	51.4
2022	199	12.5	15.9	56.8
2023	211	12.6	16.6	56.4
2024	223	13.6	16.3	58.3

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.

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