Enrollment
530
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130252002430
Cowan Road Middle School — Griffin, GA
Federal NCES profile for Cowan Road Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 4
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: Griffin-Spalding 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.5%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cowan Road Middle 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
Cowan Road Middle School reports 530 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the Georgia average and 90% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 151 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Griffin-Spalding County spends $14,916 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.6% from local sources (property taxes), 47.4% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Cowan Road Middle 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 29% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.5% | ▲ 62% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 530 | top 35% | — | — |
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
98.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 29% above state mean
Top 95% in Georgia — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,916
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
Counselors3.5 FTE
Per 151 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
173
in-school suspensions + 113 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 32.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 54.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 530 Top 35% in Georgia — larger than 65% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.5% +62% vs state
NCES ID 130252002430
Student demographics
African American 61.1%
White 16.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
Two or More 5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 61.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.5
Students per counselor 151:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.3%
In-school suspensions 173
Out-of-school suspensions 113
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Griffin-Spalding County, which includes Cowan Road Middle School.
$14,916
Per student
-5%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.6%
State 47.4%
Federal 21.0%
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
- 1,505
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 600
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 543
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar middle schools in Griffin
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Cowan Road Middle School
How many students attend Cowan Road Middle School?
Cowan Road Middle School has 530 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Griffin, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cowan Road Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cowan Road Middle School is 18.7:1, which is 29% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cowan Road Middle School?
98.5% of students at Cowan Road Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cowan Road Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Cowan Road Middle School is African American at 61.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Griffin, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cowan Road Middle School?
Cowan Road Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.