Enrollment
1,338
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130012001865
Benjamin E. Mays High School — Atlanta, GA
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin E. Mays High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 50
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Atlanta Public Schools · Georgia
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
107.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benjamin E. Mays High School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Benjamin E. Mays High School reports 1,338 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 107.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% above the Georgia average and 93% above the national baseline. The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 335 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Atlanta Public Schools spends $24,033 per pupil district-wide, above the Georgia average of $15,679 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.7% from local sources (property taxes), 15.6% from the state, and 15.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Benjamin E. Mays High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Georgia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 65% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,338 | top 90% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 20% in Georgia — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
59.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,033
per pupil, district-wide
— above Georgia avg of $15,679
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 335 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
103
in-school suspensions + 433 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,338 Top 90% in Georgia — larger than 10% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 107.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +65% vs state
NCES ID 130012001865
Student demographics
African American 90.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
Two or More 1.0%
White 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 90.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 335:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.9%
In-school suspensions 103
Out-of-school suspensions 433
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atlanta Public Schools, which includes Benjamin E. Mays High School.
$24,033
Per student
+53%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.7%
State 15.6%
Federal 15.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,368
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,696
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,619
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,549
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,296
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar high schools in Atlanta
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
North Atlanta High School
Standard public school
2,368 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Lakeside High School
Standard public school
2,234 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Westlake High School
Standard public school
2,056 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Riverwood International Charter School
Standard public school
1,737 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Midtown High School
Standard public school
1,696 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Maynard Jackson High School
Standard public school
1,549 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Benjamin E. Mays High School
How many students attend Benjamin E. Mays High School?
Benjamin E. Mays High School has 1,338 students enrolled. It is a high school in Atlanta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benjamin E. Mays High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benjamin E. Mays High School is 12.5:1, which is 14% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benjamin E. Mays High School?
100.0% of students at Benjamin E. Mays High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benjamin E. Mays High School?
The largest demographic group at Benjamin E. Mays High School is African American at 90.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Atlanta, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin E. Mays High School?
Benjamin E. Mays High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.