Education

Keep up with Columbia public schools

Below the overview of the district are links to KBIA's coverage of Columbia 93 district schools, updated as more stories are published. Columbia 93 at a glanceThe Columbia 93 school district currently includes 32 different schools. In 2014, the district had a k-12 enrollment of 17,204 students, which is 2% of the total k-12 enrollment for the state. Enrollment has been slightly increasing in recent years, 2% since 2011. While a small percent, that amounts to almost 400 more students. There have also been major re-drawing of attendance areas with the addition of Battle High School. Middle school attendance areas shape high school boundaries 00000178-cc7d-da8b-a77d-ec7d2f9e0000The changes have affected all schools in the district, including causing high school attendance to increase and overcrowding at one middle school at least.

Chinese soon offered in some Columbia Public Schools

KBIA | By Alyssa Caruso

Published September 11, 2012 at 8:51 AM CDT

Chris Belcher, superintendent of Columbia schools

A new Chinese language program will be taught at several Columbia public schools. The program is a partnership between Columbia Public Schools and University of Missouri’s International Program and Confucius Program. Three Chinese teachers will be training Columbia School teachers the language so they can start the program in fall of 2013.

The Institute signed the memorandum on Friday for the program and Spanish teacher John Becker is happy they have it set in stone.

“Without having that on paper it would be too easy for us to go back next year and say well, not enough students signed up or, well -- it’s a little harder than we thought it would be,” Becker says.

The program will begin teaching seventh graders and older next fall at six middle and junior high schools including Jefferson Jr. High and Lange Middle School.