Telfair 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.

Mcrae, Georgia - 4 schools

An equity score of 73/100 ranks Telfair County #33 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,354 per pupil, Telfair County ranks #64 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,586
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$14,354
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Telfair County operates 4 public schools serving 1,586 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 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 Telfair County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,354 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 27.4% local, 47.0% state, and 25.6% 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 73/100, ranked #33 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 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 443.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 44.6% African American, 37.0% White, 12.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Telfair County Middle School, with a diversity index of 63.6/100.

Its largest campus is Telfair County Elementary, enrolling 793 students (51% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Telfair Alternative Preparation School, at 18 students, a 44x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Telfair County Elementary accounts for 50.0% of all Telfair County student enrollment

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

Telfair County school enrollment varies 44× across entities

Telfair County school enrollment ranges from 18 students (lowest) to 793 students (highest), a spread of 775 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. 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

Telfair County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 88.9% 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

Telfair County student-counselor ratio is 444:1 — 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

Telfair County chronic absenteeism rate is 36.3% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

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

Where does the funding come from?

25.6%
Federal
47.0%
State
27.4%
Local

Funding Equity

73
Equity Score
33 / 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 4 schools in Telfair County.

White 37.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
African American 44.6%
Asian 0.7%
Multiracial 5.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 59.3/100

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

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Telfair County Middle School 63.6
  2. 2 Telfair County High School 62.1
  3. 3 Telfair County Elementary 61.6
  4. 4 Telfair Alternative Preparation School 50.0

Programs & Resources

1 / 4
Schools with AP
2 AP courses total
443.7:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
36.3%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Telfair County

School Enrollment
Telfair County Elementary
793
Telfair County High School
388
Telfair County Middle School
344
Telfair Alternative Preparation School
18

How Telfair County Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Georgia districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Crawford County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Irwin County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Atkinson County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Early County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Charlton County Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix

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

Compare Telfair 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 Telfair County?

Telfair County has 4 schools, including 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,586 students.

How much does Telfair County spend per student?

Telfair County spends $14,354 per student. The district has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #33 in Georgia.

What is the demographic composition of Telfair County?

Telfair County students are 44.6% African American, 37.0% White, 12.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Telfair County?

Telfair County has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #33 out of 216 districts in Georgia.