Enrollment
552
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fitzgerald, GA
Ben Hill Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ben Hill Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 130036000190
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ben Hill Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Georgia schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Fitzgerald · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 88.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Ben Hill Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 86% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Hill Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Fitzgerald, GA.
School address
District: Ben Hill County · Georgia
NCES ID 130036000190 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.9%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ben Hill Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ben Hill Elementary School
Ben Hill Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Fitzgerald, Georgia, enrolling 552 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.5:1, Ben Hill Elementary School is leaner than roughly 86% of Georgia schools and 20% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 88.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 552 students, its enrollment sits close to the Georgia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 552 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #93.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and African American (40%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 552 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 24.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Ben Hill County also operates Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy (870 students) and Ben Hill County Primary School (815 students) alongside Ben Hill Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ben Hill Elementary School compares
Ben Hill Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.9% | ▲ 46% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 552 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
552
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 14% in Georgia - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,371
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 552 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 45.3%
African American 40.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.4%
Two or More 3.3%
Largest group: White at 45.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.1, Ben Hill Elementary School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ben Hill County, which includes Ben Hill Elementary School.
$14,371
Per student
+4%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 51.7%
Federal 24.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Ben Hill Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ben Hill County Primary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ben Hill County Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hurricane Transition Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ben Hill Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 870
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Georgia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~552 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ben Hill Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ben Hill Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ben Hill County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ben Hill Elementary School
How many students attend Ben Hill Elementary School?
Ben Hill Elementary School has 552 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fitzgerald, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ben Hill Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ben Hill Elementary School is 11.5:1, which is 20% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ben Hill Elementary School?
88.9% of students at Ben Hill Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ben Hill Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ben Hill Elementary School is White at 45.3% of enrollment, in Fitzgerald, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ben Hill Elementary School?
Ben Hill Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ben Hill Elementary School rank among public schools in Fitzgerald?
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Hill Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Fitzgerald, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fitzgerald on the city page.
Is Ben Hill Elementary School a good school?
Ben Hill Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Georgia schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ben Hill County?
Besides Ben Hill Elementary School, Ben Hill County also operates Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy (870 students), Ben Hill County Primary School (815 students), and Ben Hill County Middle School (594 students). See the Ben Hill County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.