Dalton Public Schools operates 10 public schools serving 7,675 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 other, 2 high, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 7,619 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Whitfield County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,490 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 36.1% local, 44.1% state, and 19.8% 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 $83,102 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 60/100, ranked #73 of 216 in Georgia against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (22 AP courses district-wide), a 478.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 21.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% White, 4.4% African American across the district's schools.
Dalton High School accounts for 25.2% of all Dalton Public Schools student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Dalton Public Schools-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.
Dalton Public Schools school enrollment varies 4.6× across entities
Dalton Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 421 students (lowest) to 1,919 students (highest), a spread of 1,498 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.
Dalton Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 60.9% 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 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.
Dalton Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 479:1 — 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.
Dalton Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 21.8% — 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 Dalton Public Schools is typically wider than the Dalton Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Dalton Public Schools has 10 schools, including 2 high, 1 middle, 7 other. Total enrollment is 7,675 students.
How much does Dalton Public Schools spend per student?
Dalton Public Schools spends $15,490 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #73 in Georgia.
What is the average teacher salary in Dalton Public Schools?
The average teacher salary in Dalton Public Schools is $83,102 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Dalton Public Schools?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Whitfield County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Dalton Public Schools?
Dalton Public Schools students are 74.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% White, 4.4% African American, 2.1% Asian, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dalton Public Schools?
Dalton Public Schools has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #73 out of 216 districts in Georgia. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.