Columbia Public Schools

What Columbia Public Schools does

Columbia Public Schools is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, serving approximately 18,370 students across a 300+ square mile district covering urban, suburban, and rural areas of Boone County. Founded in 1873 and operating as the fourth-largest district in Missouri, it runs 22 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 4 high schools, plus specialized facilities including the Columbia Area Career Center, Boone County Nature School, and two early learning centers. The district is fully accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and offers comprehensive programs spanning preschool through adult education, including AVID college-readiness, dual enrollment with Moberly Area Community College, career and technical education, gifted education, English learner services, and virtual learning through MOCAP.

The district's technology infrastructure is built on third-party platforms rather than proprietary systems: Infinite Campus for student information management, Schoology for learning management, and ClassLink LaunchPad for single sign-on across the CPS Families Portal and CPS Staff & Student Portal. Communications are delivered via CPS-TV (broadcasting on cable channels Mediacom 81 and Spectrum 985 plus streaming platforms Apple TV, Roku, and Fire TV through Cablecast), Peachjar eFlyers, a quarterly newsletter, and social media. The Beacon Connect transportation app provides bus tracking for families. Outcomes are strong: a 91.6% graduation rate, 82% AP exam pass rate, 96.9% CTE placement rate, and 70.9% postsecondary continuation rate.

As a government entity (legal name: Columbia School District No. 93), Columbia Public Schools is funded by local property taxes, state aid from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and federal contributions including Title I and special education funding. Salaries and benefits account for approximately 62% of expenditures. The district employs roughly 3,100 staff and has no private ownership, parent company, or fundraising rounds. Capital expansion is financed through voter-approved bond measures, of which 14 consecutive issues (1994-2022) and 4 tax levy increases have passed. Tuition is not charged to district residents, with free and reduced-price meals available for qualifying students and a $2 transcript fee as the only material fee-based service.

Name

Columbia Public Schools

Legal name

Columbia School District No. 93

Website

https://cpsk12.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Columbia Public Schools is a public K-12 district serving 18,370 students across 33 schools in Columbia, Missouri. It is government-funded through property taxes, state aid, and federal contributions, with no private ownership or investment capital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA), Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Early childhood education
• Career technical education
• Special education services
• College readiness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia, Missouri

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Local Property Taxes: Primary revenue source from local property tax levies. Community has consistently approved bond issues (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) and tax levy increases (1999, 2003, 2012, 2016).
2. State Funding: State funding from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education based on enrollment and categorical programs
3. Federal Contributions: Federal funding including Title I, special education, and other federal education programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Columbia Public Schools is a government-operated K-12 public school district providing free comprehensive education to 18,370 students across 22 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 4 high schools, the Columbia Area Career Center, and the Boone County Nature School in Columbia, Missouri. The district delivers standard curriculum, college-readiness programming (AVID, Early College), career and technical education, special education, gifted education, English learner services, nutrition programs, and transportation. Supplementing instruction are digital platforms including CPS Families/Staff & Student Portals, Schoology LMS, and CPS-TV broadcasting.

Product overview

Columbia Public Schools operates as a traditional public school district with 22 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 4 high schools, and specialized programs including the Columbia Area Career Center and Boone County Nature School. The district provides educational technology services including CPS-TV broadcast programming, online learning through CPS Online (MOCAP), student/family portals via ClassLink, and the Transportation Family App. College-readiness programs include AVID and the Early College Program with Moberly Area Community College.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CPS-TV District broadcast channel and streaming service that delivers school and district news, Board of Education meetings, and student-created content to families and the community via cable and streaming platforms.
• Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) College-readiness program offered at all seven middle schools and three comprehensive high schools plus Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary, using WICOR methodology to prepare students for college and careers.
• Early College Program Partnership with Moberly Area Community College (MACC) allowing high school students to earn college credits and potentially an associate degree while completing high school requirements.
• CPS Online Online educational opportunities providing synchronous and asynchronous virtual classes for students through the Missouri Course Access Program (MOCAP).
• Transportation Family App (Beacon Connect) Mobile app enabling families to track school bus routes and receive transportation updates and communication.
• CPS Families Portal Web portal providing families access to student grades, schedules, assignments, and district resources through single sign-on.
• CPS Staff & Student Portal Single sign-on portal for staff and students to access district applications, email, and productivity tools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91.6% graduation rate
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Moberly Area Community College (MACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering Early College Program allowing high school students to simultaneously earn college credits and work toward an associate degree while completing high school requirements. Students must have 2.75+ GPA and 90% attendance. CPS pays tuition, books, and fees. Students enroll in minimum 12 college credit hours per semester at MACC-Columbia Campus.
• DLR GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict partnered with DLR Group to guide the long-range facilities master planning process. The steering committee is intentionally designed to be representative of the community, including community partners, parents/guardians, educators, students, construction and facilities experts, and district/school administrative leaders.
• Partners In EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership program connecting businesses and organizations with Columbia Public Schools. Includes partnership awards, partner spotlights, and anniversary celebrations recognizing partnership contributions. Multiple schools have individual Partners In Education relationships.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Joseph School District: Missouri public district of comparable mid-large size, sharing the same DESE funding formulas, accreditation framework, and bond-driven capital expansion playbook.
• Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Large Missouri public district serving a comparable suburban corridor with strong graduation outcomes and similar bond-funded facility expansion strategy. Closely matches CPS in scale and operating model.
• Park Hill School District: Large Missouri public school district of similar suburban profile to Columbia Public Schools, with comparable enrollment scale and suburban/urban mix. Jeff Klein (current CPS Superintendent) previously served there as Assistant Superintendent, signaling operational and cultural similarity.
• Liberty Public Schools: Missouri public school district of similar enrollment magnitude with comparable K-12 structure and community-funded capital expansion approach.
• Independence School District: Major Missouri public school district with overlapping student demographic mix, multi-school structure, and similar reliance on property tax and state formula funding.
• Fort Zumwalt School District: Large Missouri public district in a comparable suburban-rural attendance corridor, offering similar scope of CTE, special services, and bond-supported facility growth.
• Springfield Public Schools (R-12): Another top-tier Missouri public school district with comparable K-12 footprint, multiple high schools, and career/technical programs. Operates as a direct Missouri peer in funding, accreditation, and program structure.
• Rockwood School District: Mid-sized Missouri public district with strong college-readiness outcomes, AVID implementation, and suburban attendance profile. Highly comparable in programmatic and outcome orientation to CPS.

Regional players

• Jefferson City Public Schools: Missouri state-capital public school district, smaller than CPS but operating in the same state funding and regulatory environment with similar program offerings and bond-supported expansion approach.

Emerging players

• KIPP St. Louis Public Schools: Charter school network operating within Missouri competing for similar student demographics via a college-prep focus; functions as an alternative provider within the same statewide K-12 ecosystem and competes indirectly for district transfer students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/columbiapublicschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/cps_k12
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/columbia-public-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbia Public Schools