Enrollment
2,441
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 240048000838
Gaithersburg High — Gaithersburg, MD
Federal NCES profile for Gaithersburg High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 67/100.
👥 Class size 43
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
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: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
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)
170.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.7%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gaithersburg High compares with Maryland 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
Gaithersburg High reports 2,441 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 170.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% above the Maryland average and 13% above the national baseline. The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 222 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montgomery County Public Schools spends $20,473 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.0% from local sources (property taxes), 23.7% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (B-), 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 Gaithersburg High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.7% | ▲ 20% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,441 | top 99% | — | — |
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
58.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 44% in Maryland — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$20,473
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors11.0 FTE
Per 222 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 97 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,441 Top 99% in Maryland — larger than 1% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 170.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.7% +20% vs state
NCES ID 240048000838
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 62.6%
African American 19.9%
White 8.4%
Asian 5.9%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 20
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 11.0
Students per counselor 222:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 97
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Gaithersburg High.
$20,473
Per student
-9%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%
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
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,377
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
Similar high schools in Gaithersburg
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Gaithersburg High
How many students attend Gaithersburg High?
Gaithersburg High has 2,441 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gaithersburg, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gaithersburg High?
The student-teacher ratio at Gaithersburg High is 14.3:1, which is 1% lower than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 10% 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 Gaithersburg High?
58.7% of students at Gaithersburg High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gaithersburg High?
The largest demographic group at Gaithersburg High is Hispanic or Latino at 62.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gaithersburg, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gaithersburg High?
Gaithersburg High has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (B-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.