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Fitzgerald, Georgia - 5 schools
An equity score of 71/100 ranks Ben Hill County #40 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,371 per pupil, Ben Hill County ranks #62 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,003
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$14,371
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Ben Hill County operates 5 public schools serving 3,003 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Ben Hill County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,371 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 24.1% local, 51.7% state, and 24.2% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 71/100, ranked #40 of 216 in Georgia against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 499.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.7% 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. Its most demographically mixed campus is Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy, with a diversity index of 63.8/100.
Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy accounts for 29.0% of all Ben Hill County student enrollment
That dominant concentration 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 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Ben Hill County chronic absenteeism rate is 22.7% — 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 Ben Hill County is typically wider than the Ben Hill County-aggregate figure suggests.
Ben Hill County has 5 schools, including 1 high, 2 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,003 students.
How much does Ben Hill County spend per student?
Ben Hill County spends $14,371 per student. The district has an equity score of 71/100, ranking #40 in Georgia.
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 71/100, ranking #40 out of 216 districts in Georgia.