Early 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.

Blakely, Georgia - 3 schools

An equity score of 81/100 ranks Early County #7 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,426 per pupil, Early County ranks #27 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,668
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$16,426
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Early County operates 3 public schools serving 1,668 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 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 Early County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,426 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 35.1% local, 43.1% state, and 21.8% 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 81/100, ranked #7 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 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 204.8:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 43.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 80.1% African American, 13.7% White, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Early County Middle School, with a diversity index of 36.6/100.

Its largest campus is Early County Elementary School, enrolling 758 students (51% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Early County Middle School, at 218 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Early County Elementary School accounts for 45.4% of all Early County student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Early County a distant remainder — means Early 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

Early County school enrollment varies 3.5× across entities

Early County school enrollment ranges from 218 students (lowest) to 758 students (highest), a spread of 540 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

Early County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 100.0% 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). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding 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

Early County student-counselor ratio is 205:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

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

Early County chronic absenteeism rate is 43.8% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 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.

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

Where does the funding come from?

21.8%
Federal
43.1%
State
35.1%
Local

Funding Equity

81
Equity Score
7 / 216
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 3 schools in Early County.

White 13.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
African American 80.1%
Asian 0.8%
Multiracial 3.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 33.8/100

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

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Early County Middle School 36.6
  2. 2 Early County High School 33.9
  3. 3 Early County Elementary School 30.9

Programs & Resources

1 / 3
Schools with AP
3 AP courses total
204.8:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
43.8%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Early County

School Enrollment
Early County Elementary School
758
Early County High School
506
Early County Middle School
218

How Early County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Georgia districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Charlton County Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Atkinson County Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Irwin County Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Lanier County Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Telfair County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Early 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 Early County →
Cobb County
106,703 students · 110 schools · $13,203/pupil
Compare vs Early County →
Dekalb County
92,368 students · 131 schools · $15,594/pupil
Compare vs Early County →
Fulton County
89,935 students · 108 schools · $13,999/pupil
Compare vs Early County →
Forsyth County
54,077 students · 42 schools · $10,928/pupil
Compare vs Early County →

Compare Early 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 Early County?

Early County has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,668 students.

How much does Early County spend per student?

Early County spends $16,426 per student. The district has an equity score of 81/100, ranking #7 in Georgia.

What is the demographic composition of Early County?

Early County students are 80.1% African American, 13.7% White, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Early County?

Early County has an equity score of 81/100, ranking #7 out of 216 districts in Georgia.