Enrollment
673
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buford, GA
Friendship Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Friendship Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130261001268
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Friendship Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median.
- #3 of 5
- schools in Buford · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 45.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Friendship Elementary School has class sizes near the Georgia median. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Friendship Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 schools in Buford, GA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Friendship Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Friendship Elementary School
Friendship Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Buford, Georgia, enrolling 673 students.
At 14.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Georgia median, within a few percentage points of the 14.4:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 673 students, its enrollment sits close to the Georgia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 443 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #250.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 673 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Buford's public schools, it stands alongside Ivy Creek Elementary School (1,507 students): Friendship Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.6:1 vs 15.7:1).
Hall County also operates Johnson High School (1,318 students) and Flowery Branch High (1,304 students) alongside Friendship 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 Friendship Elementary School compares
Friendship 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 | 14.6:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.8% | ▼ 25% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 673 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
673
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 58% in Georgia - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,147
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 673 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 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
White 43.8%
Hispanic or Latino 38.2%
African American 7.7%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 43.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Friendship 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 Hall County, which includes Friendship Elementary School.
$12,147
Per student
-12%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.4%
State 42.9%
Federal 14.7%
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 Friendship Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Flowery Branch High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Hall High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Hall High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chestatee High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Friendship Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,318
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,287
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,245
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar other schools in Buford
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Ivy Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
1,507 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Patrick Elementary School
Standard public school
999 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Harmony Elementary School
Standard public school
614 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Buford Elementary School
Standard public school
431 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 (~673 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Friendship Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Friendship Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hall 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 Friendship Elementary School
How many students attend Friendship Elementary School?
Friendship Elementary School has 673 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buford, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Friendship Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Friendship Elementary School is 14.6:1, which is 1% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Friendship Elementary School?
45.8% of students at Friendship Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Friendship Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Friendship Elementary School is White at 43.8% of enrollment, in Buford, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Friendship Elementary School?
Friendship Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Friendship Elementary School rank among schools in Buford?
By Resource Investment Index, Friendship Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 schools in Buford, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Buford on the city page.
Is Friendship Elementary School a good school?
Friendship Elementary School earns 41/100 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 Hall County?
Besides Friendship Elementary School, Hall County also operates Johnson High School (1,318 students), Flowery Branch High (1,304 students), and East Hall High School (1,287 students). See the Hall 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.