Columbia Elementary, 667 Balch Road: kindergarten to fifth grade, 691 students on the 2024-25 state report card, which graded it an A with 98 points.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Our School page and Our Team page; Madison City Schools’ School Zones page, School Locator and 2026-27 calendar (PDF); the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2024-25; and the federal NCES school directory for 2024-25.
Columbia Elementary, on Balch Road, is named in memory of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia, mission STS-107, who died Feb. 1, 2003, honoring Madison’s ties to the space industry. It opened in 2004, according to the school’s Our School page. Alabama graded it an A, with 98 points, on its 2024-25 report card.
Who to call
- Front office: 256-430-2751, 667 Balch Road; office hours 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- School website: ces.madisoncity.k12.al.us
- Enrolling or checking a zone: Madison City Schools Central Office, 256-464-8370, 211 Celtic Drive, and the district’s Enrollment page
- Buses: MCS Transportation, 256-774-4613, 217 Westchester Drive
| Address | 667 Balch Road, Madison, AL 35758 |
| Phone | 256-430-2751 |
| Grades | Kindergarten to 5 |
| District | Madison City Schools |
| Colors | Red and black |
| State school code | 169-0030 |
Principal
Principal Kiley Rikard, according to the school’s Our School page, which lists Kimberly Massey as assistant principal.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: 691 students on the 2024-25 Alabama state report card, down from 761 on the 2023-24 card.
- Federal count: 701 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 49 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 14 students per teacher.
State report card
Alabama grades every public school from A to F each year. For an elementary school the 100-point score is built from students’ achievement and growth on state tests in English language arts and math, chronic absenteeism (the share of students who missed 18 or more days) and progress in English language proficiency, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s report card rules.
2024-25 grade: A, 98 points. The 2023-24 card also gave Columbia an A with 98 points.
| Indicator | 2024-25 score |
|---|---|
| Academic achievement (ELA and math tests) | 97.06 |
| Academic growth | 100 |
| Progress in English language proficiency | 81.82 |
| Chronic absenteeism (lower is better) | 4.67% of students |
The full report card is on the state’s report card site.
Attendance zone
The district redrew its zones for 2026-27, when Russell Branch Elementary opened. It held a public hearing on rezoning Oct. 27, 2025 (notice, PDF), and the 2026-27 rezoning map was an action item at the board’s Nov. 6, 2025, meeting (agenda, PDF). Check any address on the district’s School Locator.
Columbia’s zone is split two ways on the 2026-27 zone map behind the locator:
- The larger part goes to Liberty Middle and then James Clemens High.
- The rest goes to Discovery Middle and then Bob Jones High.
Homes near the school are covered in our Gillespie Road neighborhood guide.
Bell times
From the school’s Our School page:
- Student hours: 7:40 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
- Morning car line: 7:10 to 7:35 a.m.
- Afternoon car line: 2:40 to 3 p.m., behind the school and reached only from the south entrance
- Half days: elementary schools let out at 11:30 a.m., according to the district calendar
Calendar
Columbia follows the Madison City Schools 2026-27 calendar (PDF). Coming dates:
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, schools closed
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving, schools closed
- Dec. 17-18: half days
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 4: winter holidays; students return Wednesday, Jan. 6
- March 15-19, 2027: spring break
- Tuesday, May 25, 2027: last day for students, a half day
More
- The school’s website
- Every public school in Madison, with zones and report cards
- Our Madison schools guide for enrollment, the Board of Education and the district calendar
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Columbia Elementary serve?
Kindergarten through fifth grade, according to the school’s website, which gives its enrollment as about 700 students.
What is Columbia Elementary’s state report card grade?
Columbia earned an A, with 98 points, on Alabama’s 2024-25 state report card, the same score as on the 2023-24 card.
Which high school does Columbia Elementary feed into?
It depends on the address. On the district’s 2026-27 zone map, part of Columbia’s zone goes to Discovery Middle and Bob Jones High, and the larger part to Liberty Middle and James Clemens High.
What time does Columbia Elementary start?
Student hours are 7:40 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. The morning car line runs from 7:10 to 7:35 a.m., according to the school’s website.
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