Stephens 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.

Toccoa, Georgia - 6 schools

An equity score of 50/100 ranks Stephens County #111 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $12,762 per pupil, Stephens County ranks #138 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,840
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$12,762
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Stephens County operates 6 public schools serving 3,840 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 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 Stephens County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,762 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 32.3% local, 48.4% state, and 19.3% 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 50/100, ranked #111 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 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 454.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 69.9% White, 11.9% African American, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Liberty Elementary School, with a diversity index of 51.1/100.

Its largest campus is Stephens County High School, enrolling 1,133 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Stephens County Fifth Grade Academy, at 295 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Stephens County High School accounts for 29.4% of all Stephens County student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Stephens 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

Stephens County school enrollment varies 3.8× across entities

Stephens County school enrollment ranges from 295 students (lowest) to 1,133 students (highest), a spread of 838 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

Stephens County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 69.1% 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 approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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

Stephens County student-counselor ratio is 455:1 — 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

Stephens County chronic absenteeism rate is 27.9% — 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 Stephens County is typically wider than the Stephens 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?

19.3%
Federal
48.4%
State
32.3%
Local

Funding Equity

50
Equity Score
111 / 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 6 schools in Stephens County.

White 69.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 11.9%
Asian 1.2%
Multiracial 10.5%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 48.2/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Stephens County's schools, about the same as the Georgia average of 50.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Liberty Elementary School 51.1
  2. 2 Toccoa Elementary School 49.5
  3. 3 Stephens County Fifth Grade Academy 48.5
  4. 4 Big a Elementary School 47.3
  5. 5 Stephens County High School 46.9

Programs & Resources

1 / 6
Schools with AP
10 AP courses total
454.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
27.9%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Stephens County

School Enrollment
Stephens County High School
1,133
Stephens County Middle School
848
Toccoa Elementary School
605
Liberty Elementary School
571
Big a Elementary School
403
Stephens County Fifth Grade Academy
295

How Stephens County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Georgia districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
White County Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Peach County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Dawson County Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Lumpkin County Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Burke County Similar size Higher spending More locally funded

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

Compare Stephens 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 Stephens County?

Stephens County has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 3,840 students.

How much does Stephens County spend per student?

Stephens County spends $12,762 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #111 in Georgia.

What is the demographic composition of Stephens County?

Stephens County students are 69.9% White, 11.9% African American, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Stephens County?

Stephens County has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #111 out of 216 districts in Georgia.