Enrollment
898
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Marietta, GA
Dowell Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dowell Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130129002069
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dowell Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median.
- #26 of 30
- schools in Marietta · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 51.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Dowell Elementary School has class sizes near the Georgia median. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dowell Elementary School ranks #26 of 30 schools in Marietta, GA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.6%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dowell Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dowell Elementary School
Dowell Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Marietta, Georgia, enrolling 898 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.6% lands close to the Georgia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 898 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 383 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #130.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (42%) and African American (35%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 449 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Marietta's public schools, it stands alongside Sope Creek Elementary School (1,104 students): Dowell Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 15.3:1).
Cobb County also operates Campbell High School (3,085 students) and Osborne High School (2,790 students) alongside Dowell Elementary 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 Dowell Elementary School compares
Dowell Elementary 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.6% | ▼ 15% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 898 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
898
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 32% in Georgia - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,203
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 449 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Hispanic or Latino 42.2%
African American 34.5%
White 14.1%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.9, Dowell Elementary School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cobb County, which includes Dowell Elementary School.
$13,203
Per student
-5%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 11.9%
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 Dowell Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Osborne High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walton High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pebblebrook High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Cobb High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dowell Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,085
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,790
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,705
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,574
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,463
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Marietta
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sope Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
1,104 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
East Side Elementary School
Standard public school
1,072 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Cheatham Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
1,021 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Brumby Elementary School
Standard public school
963 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Mount Bethel Elementary School
Standard public school
898 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Murdock Elementary School
Standard public school
847 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~898 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dowell Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dowell Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cobb County'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 Dowell Elementary School
How many students attend Dowell Elementary School?
Dowell Elementary School has 898 students enrolled. It is a public school in Marietta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dowell Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dowell Elementary School is 13:1, which is 10% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dowell Elementary School?
51.6% of students at Dowell Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dowell Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dowell Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 42.2% of enrollment, in Marietta, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dowell Elementary School?
Dowell Elementary 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 Dowell Elementary School rank among schools in Marietta?
By Resource Investment Index, Dowell Elementary School ranks #26 of 30 schools in Marietta, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Marietta on the city page.
Is Dowell Elementary School a good school?
Dowell Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median. 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 Cobb County?
Besides Dowell Elementary School, Cobb County also operates Campbell High School (3,085 students), Osborne High School (2,790 students), and Walton High School (2,705 students). See the Cobb County 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.