Enrollment
1,368
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 130060004338
Buford Senior Academy — Buford, GA
Federal NCES profile for Buford Senior Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 89
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: Buford City · 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.7%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buford Senior Academy 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
Buford Senior Academy reports 1,368 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% above the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the Georgia average and 48% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1368 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Buford City spends $14,501 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.3% from local sources (property taxes), 34.1% from the state, and 9.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Buford Senior Academy 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.7% | ▼ 56% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,368 | top 91% | — | — |
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
26.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 92% in Georgia — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,501
per pupil, district-wide
— below Georgia avg of $15,679
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1368 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,368 Top 91% in Georgia — larger than 9% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.7% -56% vs state
NCES ID 130060004338
Student demographics
White 45.8%
Hispanic or Latino 27.2%
Asian 10.6%
African American 10.0%
Two or More 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 45.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 1368:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buford City, which includes Buford Senior Academy.
$14,501
Per student
-8%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,426
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
Similar elementary schools in Buford
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Buford Senior Academy
How many students attend Buford Senior Academy?
Buford Senior Academy has 1,368 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Buford, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buford Senior Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Buford Senior Academy is 17.9:1, which is 23% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buford Senior Academy?
26.7% of students at Buford Senior Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buford Senior Academy?
The largest demographic group at Buford Senior Academy is White at 45.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Buford, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buford Senior Academy?
Buford Senior Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.