About Us

Columbia Elementary is the only A+ Arts school of North Carolina in downtown Colorado Springs.

A+ Schools of North Carolina is a whole-school transformation model that views the arts as fundamental to teaching and learning. Our school developed a creative culture in which the state's mandated curriculum is taught through collaboration and multi-discipline integration, with the arts continuously woven into every child's learning experience.

Established in North Carolina in 1995, A+ Schools is a signature program of the North Carolina Arts Council. A+ is the longest-running, arts-based whole-school reform model in the nation.

Arts Integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process  which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.                                                                                                                                     -The Kennedy Center

As an arts integrated school in District 11, Columbia Elementary’s purpose is to engage learners in a connected and empowering community, where critical thinking, curiosity, and wonder are nurtured through inquiry and arts for all.