Enrollment
399
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 130570003844
Cedar Ridge Elementary — Dalton, GA
Federal NCES profile for Cedar Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 67
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: Whitfield County · 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.5%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cedar Ridge Elementary 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
Cedar Ridge Elementary reports 399 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 29% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Georgia average and 36% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 399 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Whitfield County spends $14,319 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.3% from local sources (property taxes), 52.5% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Cedar Ridge Elementary 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.5% | ▲ 16% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 18% | — | — |
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
70.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 9% in Georgia — lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
13.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,319
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 399 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 399 Top 18% in Georgia — larger than 82% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 11.3:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.5% +16% vs state
NCES ID 130570003844
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 58.6%
White 35.1%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 399:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.3%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Whitfield County, which includes Cedar Ridge Elementary.
$14,319
Per student
-9%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 52.5%
Federal 18.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,453
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,098
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,041
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar other schools in Dalton
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
City Park Elementary School
Standard public school
707 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Brookwood Elementary School
Standard public school
688 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Blue Ridge Elementary School
Standard public school
632 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Westwood Elementary School
Standard public school
605 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Park Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
604 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Eastside Elementary School
Standard public school
579 students 11.4:1 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 Cedar Ridge Elementary
How many students attend Cedar Ridge Elementary?
Cedar Ridge Elementary has 399 students enrolled. It is a other school in Dalton, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cedar Ridge Elementary is 11.3:1, which is 22% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 29% 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 Cedar Ridge Elementary?
70.5% of students at Cedar Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cedar Ridge Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 58.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dalton, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar Ridge Elementary?
Cedar Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.