Enrollment
1,025
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Harlem, GA
Harlem Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Harlem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 130141001886
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harlem Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Georgia schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Harlem · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 32.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Harlem Middle School has class sizes larger than 87% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harlem Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Harlem, GA.
School address
District: Columbia County · Georgia
NCES ID 130141001886 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.1%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harlem Middle School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harlem Middle School
Large campus carrying a heavier staffing load
Harlem Middle School is larger than most Georgia schools and also reports more students per teacher than the state norm. Those facts reinforce one another: this is not merely a small specialist campus whose ratio is distorted by a tiny denominator. The operational constraint is scale paired with tighter staffing. Families comparing programs should inspect whether counselors, gifted access, and other support indicators compensate for that teacher-staffing load.
Lower measured need does not translate into broad resources
Harlem Middle School's free-meal eligibility sits below much of the Georgia distribution, yet its Resource Investment Index also lands in the lower tier. That breaks the common assumption that a lower-need intake automatically produces stronger reported capacity. The component scores below are therefore more useful than a socioeconomic shortcut: staffing, counselors, gifted access, and attendance determine where the composite is being lost.
Student support operates inside a leaner district budget
Harlem Middle School's district reports $11,434 in per-pupil expenditure, at least 15% below the Georgia average of $13,863. That district-wide constraint gives the campus-level support fields added meaning: counselor loads, specialist staffing, and program access are being reported within a comparatively lean spending environment. F-33 does not publish this school's own budget, so the comparison describes district context rather than dollars assigned to this building.
Harlem Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Harlem, Georgia, enrolling 1,025 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.4:1 is larger than about 87% of Georgia schools and 21% above the 14.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 1,025 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Among 350 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Georgia schools statewide, it ranks #294, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 513 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 239 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,025 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 13 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Columbia County also operates Grovetown High School (2,256 students) and Greenbrier High School (1,935 students) alongside Harlem Middle 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 Harlem Middle School compares
Harlem Middle 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 | 17.4:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▼ 47% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,025 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,025
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in Georgia - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$11,434
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 513 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
168
in-school suspensions + 71 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
Student demographics
White 62.6%
African American 19.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.0%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.6, Harlem Middle School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia County, which includes Harlem Middle School.
$11,434
Per student
-18%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.9%
State 45.4%
Federal 10.7%
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 Harlem Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grovetown High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenbrier High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakeside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Evans High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harlem High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harlem Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,256
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,935
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,861
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,318
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar middle 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 (~1,025 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harlem Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Harlem Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia 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 Harlem Middle School
How many students attend Harlem Middle School?
Harlem Middle School has 1,025 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Harlem, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harlem Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harlem Middle School is 17.4:1, which is 21% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harlem Middle School?
32.1% of students at Harlem Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harlem Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Harlem Middle School is White at 62.6% of enrollment, in Harlem, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlem Middle School?
Harlem Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Harlem Middle School rank among public schools in Harlem?
By Resource Investment Index, Harlem Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Harlem, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking.
What other schools are in Columbia County?
Besides Harlem Middle School, Columbia County also operates Grovetown High School (2,256 students), Greenbrier High School (1,935 students), and Lakeside High School (1,861 students). See the Columbia 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.