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About Us

A+ at Columbia

A look at how students, teachers, and parents view the A+ Schools program at Columbia

Welcome to Columbia

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.

four children waving colorful scarves in the air
Children in art classroom painting butterfly cut outs