Ben Hill County operates 5 public schools serving 3,003 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 other, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 2,880 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Ben Hill County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,289 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 24.1% local, 51.7% state, and 24.2% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $86,213 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 80/100, ranked #9 of 216 in Georgia against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 499.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 38.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.0% African American, 40.9% White, 12.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy accounts for 30.2% of all Ben Hill County student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Ben Hill County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Ben Hill County school enrollment varies 18× across entities
Ben Hill County school enrollment ranges from 49 students (lowest) to 870 students (highest), a spread of 821 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Ben Hill County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 79.5% 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.
Ben Hill County student-counselor ratio is 499:1 — 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.
Ben Hill County chronic absenteeism rate is 38.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Ben Hill County has 5 schools, including 1 high, 2 other, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,003 students.
How much does Ben Hill County spend per student?
Ben Hill County spends $22,289 per student. The district has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #9 in Georgia.
What is the average teacher salary in Ben Hill County?
The average teacher salary in Ben Hill County is $86,213 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Ben Hill County?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Ben Hill County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Ben Hill County?
Ben Hill County students are 43.0% African American, 40.9% White, 12.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Ben Hill County?
Ben Hill County has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #9 out of 216 districts in Georgia. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.