Habersham 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.

Clarkesville, Georgia - 14 schools

An equity score of 52/100 ranks Habersham County #105 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,229 per pupil, Habersham County ranks #68 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

7,204
Total Enrollment
14
Schools
$14,229
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Habersham County operates 14 public schools serving 7,204 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 9 combined, 3 middle, 2 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 Habersham County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,229 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 37.8% local, 48.0% state, and 14.2% 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 52/100, ranked #105 of 216 in Georgia against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 14 schools offering Advanced Placement (19 AP courses district-wide), a 441.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 19.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 58.8% White, 32.5% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hilliard a. Wilbanks Middle School, with a diversity index of 59.9/100.

Its largest campus is Habersham Central High School, enrolling 1,611 students (22% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Habersham Success Academy, at 75 students, a 21x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Habersham Central High School accounts for 22.2% of all Habersham County student enrollment

That concentration means Habersham 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Habersham County school enrollment varies 21× across entities

Habersham County school enrollment ranges from 75 students (lowest) to 1,611 students (highest), a spread of 1,536 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. 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

Habersham County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 50.8% 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 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Habersham County student-counselor ratio is 442:1 — 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.

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

Habersham County chronic absenteeism rate is 19.8% — 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 Habersham County is typically wider than the Habersham County-aggregate figure suggests.

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

Where does the funding come from?

14.2%
Federal
48.0%
State
37.8%
Local

Funding Equity

52
Equity Score
105 / 216
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 14 schools in Habersham County.

White 58.8%
Hispanic or Latino 32.5%
African American 2.4%
Asian 1.5%
Multiracial 4.6%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 47.9/100

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

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Hilliard a. Wilbanks Middle School 59.9
  2. 2 Level Grove Elementary School 58.5
  3. 3 South Habersham Middle School 58.3
  4. 4 Habersham Ninth Grade Academy 57.9
  5. 5 Habersham Central High School 55.3

Programs & Resources

2 / 14
Schools with AP
19 AP courses total
441.6:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
19.8%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Habersham County

School Enrollment
Habersham Central High School
1,611
Level Grove Elementary School
591
Hilliard a. Wilbanks Middle School
566
Habersham Ninth Grade Academy
552
Demorest Elementary School
548
North Habersham Middle School
542
Cornelia Elementary School
491
Fairview Elementary School
478
Clarkesville Elementary School
466
South Habersham Middle School
456
Baldwin Elementary School
422
Hazel Grove Elementary School
272
Woodville Elementary School
187
Habersham Success Academy
75

How Habersham County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Georgia districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Murray County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Coffee County Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Tift County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Dalton Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Rome City Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

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

Compare Habersham 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 Habersham County?

Habersham County has 14 schools, including 2 high, 9 combined, 3 middle. Total enrollment is 7,204 students.

How much does Habersham County spend per student?

Habersham County spends $14,229 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #105 in Georgia.

What is the demographic composition of Habersham County?

Habersham County students are 58.8% White, 32.5% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American, 1.5% Asian, averaged across 14 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Habersham County?

Habersham County has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #105 out of 216 districts in Georgia.