Enrollment
1,338
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Atlanta, GA
Benjamin E. Mays High School
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin E. Mays High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 130012001865
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benjamin E. Mays High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia schools.
- #10 of 19
- high schools in Atlanta · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Benjamin E. Mays High School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin E. Mays High School ranks #10 of 19 high schools in Atlanta, GA.
School address
District: Atlanta Public Schools · Georgia
NCES ID 130012001865 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
107.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-13% 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
What stands out at Benjamin E. Mays High School
Benjamin E. Mays High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Atlanta, Georgia, enrolling 1,338 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 65% above the Georgia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Georgia, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,338 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 122 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.
Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 335 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Atlanta Public Schools spends $22,882 per pupil, 65% above the Georgia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 536 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,338 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Atlanta's high schools, it stands alongside North Atlanta High School (2,368 students): Benjamin E. Mays High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.5:1 vs 16.1:1).
Atlanta Public Schools also operates North Atlanta High School (2,368 students) and Midtown High School (1,696 students) alongside Benjamin E. Mays High 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 Benjamin E. Mays High School compares
Benjamin E. Mays High 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 65% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,338 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,338
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in Georgia - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,882
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 17.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.1, Benjamin E. Mays High School is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atlanta Public Schools, which includes Benjamin E. Mays High School.
$22,882
Per student
+65%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
+38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Benjamin E. Mays High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Atlanta High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midtown High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willis a. Sutton Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maynard Jackson High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frederick Douglass High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benjamin E. Mays High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,368
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,696
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,619
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,549
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,296
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 16.1:1 students per teacher
Lakeside High School
Standard public school
2,234 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Westlake High School
Standard public school
2,056 students 17.4:1 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 16.6:1 students per teacher
Maynard Jackson High School
Standard public school
1,549 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,338 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benjamin E. Mays High School's federal record.
- Compare Benjamin E. Mays High School against another school. Compare schools
- Atlanta Public Schools'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 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 13% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 20% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Benjamin E. Mays High School rank among high schools in Atlanta?
By Resource Investment Index, Benjamin E. Mays High School ranks #10 of 19 high schools in Atlanta, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Atlanta on the city page.
Is Benjamin E. Mays High School a good school?
Benjamin E. Mays High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Atlanta Public Schools?
Besides Benjamin E. Mays High School, Atlanta Public Schools also operates North Atlanta High School (2,368 students), Midtown High School (1,696 students), and Willis a. Sutton Middle School (1,619 students). See the Atlanta Public Schools 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.