Columbia County
Columbia County is a public school district based in Lake City, Florida, serving 9,508 students in 18 schools. By enrollment it ranks #41 of the 66 Florida districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 38% of them. Its schools average 528 students each, about the same as the Florida median of 572. Its superintendent is Keith Couey. It spends about $9,780 per student on day-to-day operations, 7% less than the Florida median. It has roughly 18.1 students per teacher.
How Columbia County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Columbia County | Florida median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $9,780 | $10,483 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $5,638 | $5,885 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $101.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $104.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 526 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,296 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 18.1 | 17.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 453 | 428 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Florida median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Keith Couey
Source: Florida Department of Education, Superintendents, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Florida
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton CountyDefuniak Springs | 12,007 | 21 | $10,970 | 14.8 | #38 |
| Putnam CountyPalatka | 10,083 | 19 | $10,893 | 20.7 | #39 |
| Sumter CountyBushnell | 10,013 | 14 | $10,902 | 15.4 | #40 |
| Columbia CountyLake City · this district | 9,508 | 18 | $9,780 | 18.1 | #41 |
| Monroe CountyKey West | 8,928 | 25 | $14,821 | 17.1 | #42 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue Public SchoolsBellevue, NE | 9,502 | $12,543 | 14.7 |
| Upland UnifiedUpland, CA | 9,496 | $12,618 | 22.7 |
| Auburn CityAuburn, AL | 9,488 | $10,534 | 16.9 |
| Pennsbury School DistrictFallsington, PA | 9,475 | $18,319 | 11.7 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-fl-columbia-county