Enrollment
870
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130036000931
Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy — Fitzgerald, GA
Federal NCES profile for Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 68
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: Ben Hill 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)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.2%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fitzgerald High School School College and Career 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
Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy reports 870 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 62.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% above the Georgia average and 26% above the national baseline. The school offers 8 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 435 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ben Hill County spends $22,289 per pupil district-wide, above the Georgia average of $15,679 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.1% from local sources (property taxes), 51.7% from the state, and 24.2% 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 5 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 Fitzgerald High School School College and Career 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.2% | ▲ 7% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 870 | top 73% | — | — |
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
65.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 43% in Georgia — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.8%
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
$22,289
per pupil, district-wide
— above Georgia avg of $15,679
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 435 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
177
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 870 Top 73% in Georgia — larger than 27% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 62.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.2% +7% vs state
NCES ID 130036000931
Student demographics
African American 43.1%
White 39.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 43.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 435:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.8%
In-school suspensions 177
Out-of-school suspensions 78
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ben Hill County, which includes Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy.
$22,289
Per student
+42%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 51.7%
Federal 24.2%
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
- 815
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 552
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 49
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
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 Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy
How many students attend Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy?
Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy has 870 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fitzgerald, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy is 13.9:1, which is 4% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 13% 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 Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy?
65.2% of students at Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy?
The largest demographic group at Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy is African American at 43.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fitzgerald, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy?
Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.