Enrollment
2,077
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130231001048
Gainesville High School — Gainesville, GA
Federal NCES profile for Gainesville High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 29
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 0
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: Gainesville City · 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)
129.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.5%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gainesville High 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
Gainesville High School reports 2,077 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 129.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% 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 12% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the Georgia average and 10% below the national baseline. The school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 415 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 40.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gainesville City spends $20,757 per pupil district-wide, above the Georgia average of $15,679 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.6% from local sources (property taxes), 39.0% from the state, and 18.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Gainesville High 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.5% | ▼ 23% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,077 | top 97% | — | — |
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
46.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 92% in Georgia — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.8%
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
$20,757
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 415 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
419
in-school suspensions + 152 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,077 Top 97% in Georgia — larger than 3% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 129.0
Students per teacher 17.8:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.5% -23% vs state
NCES ID 130231001048
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 60.1%
African American 17.8%
White 14.4%
Asian 4.2%
Two or More 3.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 415:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 40.8%
In-school suspensions 419
Out-of-school suspensions 152
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gainesville City, which includes Gainesville High School.
$20,757
Per student
+32%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 39.0%
Federal 18.3%
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
- 931
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 825
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 760
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar high schools in Gainesville
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
East Forsyth High School
Standard public school
1,588 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Johnson High School
Standard public school
1,318 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
East Hall High School
Standard public school
1,287 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Chestatee High School
Standard public school
1,245 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
North Hall High School
Standard public school
1,164 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Lanier College and Career Academy
Standard public school
169 students 10.7:1 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 Gainesville High School
How many students attend Gainesville High School?
Gainesville High School has 2,077 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gainesville, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gainesville High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gainesville High School is 17.8:1, which is 23% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gainesville High School?
46.5% of students at Gainesville High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gainesville High School?
The largest demographic group at Gainesville High School is Hispanic or Latino at 60.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gainesville, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gainesville High School?
Gainesville High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.