Columbia School District
Columbia School District is a public school district based in Brooklyn, Michigan, serving 1,428 students in 4 schools. By enrollment it ranks #248 of the 316 Michigan districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 22% of them. Its schools average 357 students each, fewer than the Michigan median of 421. Its superintendent is James Baker. It spends about $10,499 per student on day-to-day operations, 9% less than the Michigan median. It has roughly 15.7 students per teacher.
How Columbia compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Columbia | Michigan median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,499 | $11,576 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,639 | $7,157 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $17.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $19.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 91 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 192 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.7 | 16.8 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 286 | 585 | 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 Michigan median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →James Baker
Source: Michigan CEPI Educational Entity Master, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Michigan
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsley Area SchoolsKingsley | 1,430 | 3 | $10,888 | 16.8 | #247 |
| Columbia School DistrictBrooklyn · this district | 1,428 | 4 | $10,499 | 15.7 | #248 |
| Michigan Center School DistrictMichigan Center | 1,423 | 3 | $11,607 | 18.2 | #249 |
| Watervliet School DistrictWatervliet | 1,423 | 5 | $10,697 | 16.7 | #250 |
| Hopkins Public SchoolsHopkins | 1,419 | 4 | $10,988 | 15.3 | #251 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audubon Public School DistrictAudubon, NJ | 1,428 | $18,937 | 10.4 |
| Gouverneur Central School DistrictGouverneur, NY | 1,428 | $21,068 | 11.6 |
| North College Hill CityCincinnati, OH | 1,428 | $14,605 | 17.9 |
| Checotah Public SchoolsChecotah, OK | 1,428 | $10,882 | 16.0 |
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-mi-columbia-school-district