Appling County

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Baxley, Georgia - 5 schools

An equity score of 53/100 ranks Appling County #98 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,957 per pupil, Appling County ranks #82 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,463
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$13,957
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Appling County operates 5 public schools serving 3,463 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Appling County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,957 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending. See how Georgia compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 38.8% local, 37.2% state, and 24.0% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 53/100, ranked #98 of 216 in Georgia against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (1 AP courses district-wide), a 471.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 59.5% White, 18.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Appling County Elementary School, with a diversity index of 66.4/100.

Its largest campus is Appling County Elementary School, enrolling 1,113 students (33% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Fourth District Elementary School, at 148 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Appling County Elementary School accounts for 32.1% of all Appling County student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Appling County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Appling County school enrollment varies 7.5× across entities

Appling County school enrollment ranges from 148 students (lowest) to 1,113 students (highest), a spread of 965 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Appling County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 80.1% 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Appling County student-counselor ratio is 472:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Appling County chronic absenteeism rate is 21.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Appling County is typically wider than the Appling County-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

24.0%
Federal
37.2%
State
38.8%
Local

Funding Equity

53
Equity Score
98 / 216
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 5 schools in Appling County.

White 59.5%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
African American 16.4%
Multiracial 5.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 56.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Appling County's schools, above the Georgia average of 50.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Appling County Elementary School 66.4
  2. 2 Appling County High School 63.8
  3. 3 Appling County Middle School 62.1
  4. 4 Fourth District Elementary School 52.0
  5. 5 Altamaha Elementary School 36.5

Programs & Resources

1 / 5
Schools with AP
1 AP courses total
471.8:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
21.5%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Appling County

School Enrollment
Appling County Elementary School
1,113
Appling County High School
1,013
Appling County Middle School
759
Altamaha Elementary School
381
Fourth District Elementary School
148

How Appling County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Georgia districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Haralson County Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Morgan County Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Brantley County Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Butts County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Crisp County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Appling County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Georgia

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Gwinnett County
181,814 students · 140 schools · $13,113/pupil
Compare vs Appling County →
Cobb County
106,703 students · 110 schools · $13,203/pupil
Compare vs Appling County →
Dekalb County
92,368 students · 131 schools · $15,594/pupil
Compare vs Appling County →
Fulton County
89,935 students · 108 schools · $13,999/pupil
Compare vs Appling County →
Forsyth County
54,077 students · 42 schools · $10,928/pupil
Compare vs Appling County →

Compare Appling County

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Gwinnett County →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Appling County?

Appling County has 5 schools, including 3 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 3,463 students.

How much does Appling County spend per student?

Appling County spends $13,957 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #98 in Georgia.

What is the demographic composition of Appling County?

Appling County students are 59.5% White, 18.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Appling County?

Appling County has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #98 out of 216 districts in Georgia.