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Lakeland, Georgia - 4 schools
An equity score of 41/100 ranks Lanier County #140 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,294 per pupil, Lanier County ranks #172 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,722
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,294
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lanier County operates 4 public schools serving 1,722 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 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 Lanier County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,294 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 19.8% local, 58.1% state, and 22.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 41/100, ranked #140 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 683.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 22.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.9% White, 25.9% African American, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lanier County High School, with a diversity index of 61.7/100.
Lanier County Elementary School accounts for 39.5% of all Lanier County student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Lanier County-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Lanier County school enrollment varies 2.6× across entities
Lanier County school enrollment ranges from 324 students (lowest) to 850 students (highest), a spread of 526 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.
Lanier County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 86.3% 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.
Lanier County student-counselor ratio is 684:1 — 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.
Lanier County chronic absenteeism rate is 22.2% — 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 Lanier County is typically wider than the Lanier County-aggregate figure suggests.
Lanier County has 4 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,722 students.
How much does Lanier County spend per student?
Lanier County spends $12,294 per student. The district has an equity score of 41/100, ranking #140 in Georgia.
What is the demographic composition of Lanier County?
Lanier County students are 55.9% White, 25.9% African American, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lanier County?
Lanier County has an equity score of 41/100, ranking #140 out of 216 districts in Georgia.