10 public K-12 schools in Waycross from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
10 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Waycross's 10 public schools is Ware County High School, scoring 40/100, against a city average of 46.8/100. Computed live across every Waycross campus reporting to NCES.
How the Waycross Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Waycross, GA enrolls 5,927 students across 10 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 13.2:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 46.8/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Waycross on this index is Ware County High School, at 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,633 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Waycross spans 2 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Ware County High School accounts for 27.6% of all Waycross public-school enrollment
That dominant concentration means Waycross-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Waycross school enrollment varies 233× across entities
Waycross school enrollment ranges from 7 students (lowest) to 1,633 students (highest), a spread of 1,626 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Waycross has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 87.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Waycross student-teacher ratio is 13.2:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Waycross
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Waycross is Ware County High School with a quality score of 40/100. There are 10 public schools in Waycross with 5,927 total students.
How many schools are in Waycross, GA? ▼
Waycross has 10 public schools with a total enrollment of 5,927 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 13.2:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
