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Athens, Georgia - 21 schools
An equity score of 72/100 ranks Clarke County #35 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,075 per pupil, Clarke County ranks #17 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,340
Total Enrollment
21
Schools
$18,075
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Clarke County operates 21 public schools serving 12,340 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 14 combined, 4 middle, 3 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Clarke County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,075 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 22 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending. See how Georgia compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 52.5% local, 29.2% state, and 18.3% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 72/100, ranked #35 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 2 of 21 schools offering Advanced Placement (43 AP courses district-wide), a 400.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 47.5% African American, 27.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Cleveland Road Elementary School, with a diversity index of 70.1/100.
Its largest campus is Clarke Central High School, enrolling 1,907 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Classic City High School, at 58 students, a 33x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Clarke Central High School accounts for 15.5% of all Clarke County student enrollment
That concentration means Clarke 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.
Clarke County school enrollment varies 33× across entities
Clarke County school enrollment ranges from 58 students (lowest) to 1,907 students (highest), a spread of 1,849 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Clarke County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 82.8% 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.
Clarke County student-counselor ratio is 401:1 — 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.
Clarke County chronic absenteeism rate is 35.9% — 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.
Clarke County has 21 schools, including 3 high, 4 middle, 14 combined. Total enrollment is 12,340 students.
How much does Clarke County spend per student?
Clarke County spends $18,075 per student. The district has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #35 in Georgia.
What is the demographic composition of Clarke County?
Clarke County students are 47.5% African American, 27.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% White, 1.5% Asian, averaged across 21 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Clarke County?
Clarke County has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #35 out of 216 districts in Georgia.