Enrollment
1,025
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130141001886
Harlem Middle School — Harlem, GA
Federal NCES profile for Harlem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
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 →
The verdict
Harlem Middle School earns an F Resource Investment Index (36/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Georgia schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 36/100
- 16.6:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 32.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,025
- students enrolled
School address
District: Columbia 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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+14% 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
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
Harlem Middle School reports 1,025 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 15.7:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Georgia average and 38% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 513 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Columbia County spends $11,434 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $13,863 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 43.9% from local sources (property taxes), 45.4% from the state, and 10.7% 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 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 Harlem Middle 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.1% | ▼ 47% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,025 | top 82% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
17 smaller classes than 34% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
1,025 larger than 92% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
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
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 84% in Georgia — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$11,434
per pupil, district-wide
— below Georgia avg of $13,863
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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.
Overview
Enrollment 1,025 Top 82% in Georgia — larger than 18% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.1% -47% vs state
NCES ID 130141001886
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 513:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.6%
In-school suspensions 168
Out-of-school suspensions 71
Expulsions 13
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,256
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,935
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,861
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,318
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
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 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 16.6:1, which is 14% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 6% 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Harlem, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harlem Middle School?
Harlem Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Harlem Middle School a good school?
Harlem Middle School earns an F Resource Investment Index (36/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Georgia schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.