Enrollment
470
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 130543001395
Center Elementary School — Waycross, GA
Federal NCES profile for Center Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 62
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: Ware 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Center Elementary 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
Center Elementary School reports 470 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 93.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 55% above the Georgia average and 81% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 470 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ware County spends $15,108 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 22.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Center Elementary 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.8% | ▲ 55% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 27% | — | — |
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
93.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 55% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 47% in Georgia — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.3%
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
$15,108
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 470 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 470 Top 27% in Georgia — larger than 73% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 93.8% +55% vs state
NCES ID 130543001395
Student demographics
African American 57.2%
White 23.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.4%
Two or More 8.3%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 57.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 470:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 88
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ware County, which includes Center Elementary School.
$15,108
Per student
-4%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.7%
State 52.1%
Federal 22.2%
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
- 1,633
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 885
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Waycross
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Williams Heights Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Waresboro Elementary School
Standard public school
429 students 13:1 students per teacher
Ruskin Elementary School
Standard public school
363 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Memorial Drive Elementary School
Standard public school
346 students 10.4:1 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 Center Elementary School
How many students attend Center Elementary School?
Center Elementary School has 470 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Waycross, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Center Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Center Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 3% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 11% 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 Center Elementary School?
93.8% of students at Center Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Center Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Center Elementary School is African American at 57.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waycross, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Center Elementary School?
Center Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.