The top reported proficiency rate is 93% in Social studies. The lowest is 74% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Columbia Intermediate School
Columbia Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth graders in Kings Mills, a quiet residential area on the western edge of the Cincinnati metro in Warren County. The school sits on a cluster of campus-style buildings along Columbia Road, part of the Kings Local School District, which recently passed a major bond that will reorganize elementary grades and expand Columbia's footprint.
The school's academic performance is solid across the board. In the most recent state testing, students showed proficiency rates in the mid-to-high range: reading just under eighty percent, math in the mid-seventies, and science above eighty percent. Test participation was nearly universal. Among the county's districts, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top tier. The data provided does not include multi-year trend results, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent growth, stability, or recent change; only the current-year snapshot is available.
The enrollment is mid-sized for an intermediate school, split roughly evenly between fifth and sixth grades. About one quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the school is predominantly white, with Asian students forming the next-largest group at roughly one in ten students, and smaller populations of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. Special-education enrollment and English-learner data were not available.
Kings Mills itself sits in a rapidly growing residential corridor north of Mason. The community has a small-town suburban character despite being part of the greater Cincinnati area. Housing values are well above the state average and have been rising. The economic context is stable, with low unemployment and median household income above the national benchmark. The major employers nearby—Procter & Gamble's Mason campus, EssilorLuxottica, and Kings Island amusement park—support a professional and service-sector workforce.
The district has undergone significant recent change. A 2022 operating levy, approved by voters, funds day-to-day operations and protects AP, electives, and enrichment offerings. More recently, a 2024 bond measure approved construction of a new high school and an addition to Columbia Intermediate, with Columbia expanding to house fourth and fifth graders while the three elementary schools shift to kindergarten through third grade. This grade reconfiguration addresses overcrowding in five of the district's six primary buildings. In November 2025, voters approved a paired measure shifting part of the district's funding from property tax to a new earned income tax on wages and salaries, with exemptions for retirement, Social Security, disability, capital gains, and investment income—a change that has different effects on working families versus retirees.
For a family considering this school, the takeaway is a solidly performing intermediate program in a growing, affluent suburban district undergoing a major physical and grade-structure overhaul. The current results are encouraging, the community is thriving, and the ongoing capital investment signals confidence in enrollment growth. The recent shifts in the district's funding model are worth understanding in full if you are weighing the property-tax and income-tax impacts of living in the area.
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