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Ellijay, Georgia - 5 schools
An equity score of 28/100 ranks Gilmer County #185 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,721 per pupil, Gilmer County ranks #144 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,113
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$12,721
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Gilmer County operates 5 public schools serving 4,113 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined 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 Gilmer County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,721 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending. See how Georgia compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 48.1% local, 35.7% state, and 16.3% 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 28/100, ranked #185 of 216 in Georgia against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 572.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 62.1% White, 34.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ellijay Elementary School, with a diversity index of 52.6/100.
Its largest campus is Gilmer High School, enrolling 1,216 students (29% of the district's total enrollment).
Gilmer High School accounts for 29.5% of all Gilmer County student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Gilmer 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.
Gilmer County school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities
Gilmer County school enrollment ranges from 575 students (lowest) to 1,216 students (highest), a spread of 641 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.
Gilmer County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.2% 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.
Gilmer County student-counselor ratio is 572:1 — 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.
Gilmer County chronic absenteeism rate is 23.9% — 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 Gilmer County is typically wider than the Gilmer County-aggregate figure suggests.
Gilmer County has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 4,113 students.
How much does Gilmer County spend per student?
Gilmer County spends $12,721 per student. The district has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #185 in Georgia.
What is the demographic composition of Gilmer County?
Gilmer County students are 62.1% White, 34.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Gilmer County?
Gilmer County has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #185 out of 216 districts in Georgia.