Enrollment
1,426
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Buford, GA
Buford Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Buford Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 130060000276
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buford Middle School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Georgia schools.
- #3 of 3
- middle schools in Buford · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 28.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Buford Middle School has class sizes larger than 87% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buford Middle School ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Buford, GA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
82.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.4%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buford Middle School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buford Middle School
Buford Middle School is a large middle school in Buford, Georgia, enrolling 1,426 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.4:1 is larger than about 87% of Georgia schools and 21% above the 14.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Georgia, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,426 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 222 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #86.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 713 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Buford's middle schools, it stands alongside Jones Middle School (1,758 students): Buford Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.4:1 vs 19.3:1).
Buford City also operates Buford High School (1,966 students) and Buford Senior Academy (1,368 students) alongside Buford Middle 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 Buford Middle School compares
Buford Middle 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 | 17.4:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.4% | ▼ 53% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,426 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,426
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in Georgia - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,863
per pupil, district-wide
- below Georgia avg of $13,863
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 713 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
169
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 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
White 44.9%
Hispanic or Latino 26.9%
African American 11.9%
Asian 11.2%
Two or More 5.1%
Largest group: White at 44.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.7, Buford Middle School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buford City, which includes Buford Middle School.
$12,863
Per student
-7%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.3%
State 34.1%
Federal 9.6%
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 Buford Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buford Senior Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buford Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Buford Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buford Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,368
- Students per teacher
- 27.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle schools in Buford
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~1,426 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buford Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Buford Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Buford City'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 Buford Middle School
How many students attend Buford Middle School?
Buford Middle School has 1,426 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Buford, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buford Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Buford Middle School is 17.4:1, which is 21% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buford Middle School?
28.4% of students at Buford Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buford Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Buford Middle School is White at 44.9% of enrollment, in Buford, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buford Middle School?
Buford Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Buford Middle School rank among middle schools in Buford?
By Resource Investment Index, Buford Middle School ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in Buford, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Buford on the city page.
Is Buford Middle School a good school?
Buford Middle School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% 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 Buford City?
Besides Buford Middle School, Buford City also operates Buford High School (1,966 students), Buford Senior Academy (1,368 students), and Buford Academy (816 students). See the Buford City 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.