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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.

Columbia AP test scores above state average

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Students in the Columbia Public School system who took Advanced Placement exams in 2012 outscored their peers across Missouri. Some of the district’s highest scores came in Psychology and Biology.

Superintendent Chris Belcher credits the exceptional teachers and the ambitious students for the scores. But he says there is still room to grow – especially with minority enrollment.

“Some of that’s just the issue of getting enough kids to feel comfortable with that. We’re doing lots of efforts on that at the high schools to broaden the diversity within those courses,” Belcher said.

AP exams – taken primarily by 10th through 12th graders -- are scored on a one to five scale. And 82 percent of Columbia students taking the tests scored at least a three which gives them college credit in that subject.

As a state, Missouri tallied scores above the global average.

Kristofor left KBIA in fall of 2021