Central Columbia School District

Central Columbia School District is located outside of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in Columbia County. It serves about 2,100 students and features three academic buildings and one administration building. Students are divided into the Elementary School (grades K through 4), Middle School (grades 5 through 8) and the High School (grades 9 through 12).

According to the 2003 data collected by Standard & Poor's, 18.4% of students are economically disadvantaged, 13.1% receive special education services and 71.1% of students pass the state-mandated testing. The district spends about $6,999 per student. [ [http://www.schoolmatters.com/app/location/q/stid=39/llid=116/stllid=151/locid=953373/stype=/catid=-1/secid=-1/compid=-1/site=pes Central Columbia School District report] , School Matters, Standard & Poors 2003, 2005.]

In 2007, the Pittsburgh Business Times ranked the district 146th out of 499 Pennsylvania school districts based on three years of Pennsylvania System of Student Assessment test scores. [Blacklidge, Karen, Valley schools all over the Chart, The Daily Item, June 6, 2007. http://www.dailyitem.com/archivesearch/local_story_163000144.html ]

The Middle School is under construction, as of 2006. Several small additions are being added to accommodate the increasing class size, and a major renovation on the existing portion will bring it up to code. It's expected to be near completion by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.

Central Columbia High School

Central Columbia High School was ranked 76th out of 609 Pennsylvania high schools for combined 2006 PSSA scores for 11th graders. The mathematics score was 64.50% proficient or better, and Reading 85.80% proficient or better. [http://www.pdeinfo.state.pa.us/a_and_t/cwp/browse.asp?A=3 Pennsylvania State Department of Education PSSA results data]

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in English, mathematics, history and science. In 2005 70 students took courses and 140 tests were taken.
English - 74.2% earned a 3 or better, State - 67.2%
Mathematics - 78% earned a 3 or better, State - 72.3%
History - 68.4% earned a 3 or better, State - 66.9%
Science - 73.3% earned a 3 or better, State - 64.8% [ School Matters, Standard & Poors evaluation of [http://www.schoolmatters.com/app/data/q/stid=39/llid=118/stllid=153/locid=556/catid=860/secid=3585/compid=771/site=pes Central Columbia School District College Prep.] , 2005]

Extracurriculars

Central Columbia High School offers many extracurricular activities to its students. It has many clubs, including foreign language clubs, band, chorus, and community service clubs. Students may participate in a variety of athletic teams throughout the school year. The district is a member of the [http://www.dailyitem.com/archivesearch/local_story_139203100.html Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference] for all athletics and participates under the rules and guidelines of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The school's mascot is a Blue Jay. The official colors for the school are red, white, and blue, however red has been substituted across the board by silver/grey, such as the football team's helmets, which are a silver. Recently, there has been a turn towards using red, as was seen by the use of red socks by the football team late in the 2005 season. Politics swirl around the sports in this school, causing many problems and unfair situation for students who attempt to participate in them without having an "in" with one of the coaches. The sport that best exemplifies the politics of the district is baseball, in which subpar players routinely receive more playing time than those who actually deserve it.

External links

* [http://www.ccsd.cc Central Columbia School District]

References