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.
Dalton, Georgia - 22 schools
An equity score of 52/100 ranks Whitfield County #103 of 216 districts in Georgia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,781 per pupil, Whitfield County ranks #136 of 219 Georgia districts by per-pupil spending (Georgia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,317
Total Enrollment
22
Schools
$12,781
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Whitfield County operates 22 public schools serving 12,317 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Georgia. The school portfolio breaks down into 10 combined, 5 middle, 4 high, 3 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Whitfield County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,781 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 29.3% local, 52.5% state, and 18.2% 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 52/100, ranked #103 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 3 of 22 schools offering Advanced Placement (33 AP courses district-wide), a 397:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 18.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 49.3% White, 44.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dawnville Elementary School, with a diversity index of 57.5/100.
Its largest campus is Southeast Whitfield County High School, enrolling 1,453 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Phoenix High School, at 141 students, a 10x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Whitfield County school enrollment varies 10× across entities
Whitfield County school enrollment ranges from 141 students (lowest) to 1,453 students (highest), a spread of 1,312 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Whitfield County has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 55.1% 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). 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.
Whitfield County student-counselor ratio is 397:1 — 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.
Whitfield County chronic absenteeism rate is 18.2% — 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 Whitfield County is typically wider than the Whitfield County-aggregate figure suggests.
Whitfield County has 22 schools, including 4 high, 5 middle, 10 combined, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,317 students.
How much does Whitfield County spend per student?
Whitfield County spends $12,781 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #103 in Georgia.
What is the demographic composition of Whitfield County?
Whitfield County students are 49.3% White, 44.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.0% African American, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 22 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Whitfield County?
Whitfield County has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #103 out of 216 districts in Georgia.