Enrollment
32
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cedartown, GA
Harpst Academy
Federal NCES profile for Harpst Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 65/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130420003614
👥 S:T ratio 82
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 84
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harpst Academy earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Georgia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Georgia.
- #1 of 5
- schools in Cedartown · Resource Index
- 65
- Resource Index · Higher
- 4.6:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 93.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Harpst Academy has class sizes smaller than 99% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harpst Academy ranks #1 of 5 schools in Cedartown, GA.
School address
District: Polk County · Georgia
NCES ID 130420003614 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-68% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.5%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harpst Academy compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harpst Academy
Harpst Academy is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Cedartown, Georgia, enrolling 32 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4.6:1, Harpst Academy is leaner than roughly 99% of Georgia schools and 68% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 93.5% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Georgia schools, with 32 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 2,314 Georgia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and African American (34%) (diversity index 62/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 22.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 115 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 32 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Cedartown's public schools, it stands alongside Westside Elementary School (588 students): Harpst Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (4.6:1 vs 14:1).
Polk County also operates Cedartown High School (1,448 students) and Cedartown Middle School (997 students) alongside Harpst Academy.
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 Harpst Academy compares
Harpst Academy on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4.6:1 | ▼ 68% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.5% | ▲ 54% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 32 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4.6:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
32
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
4.6:1
students per teacher
- 68% below state mean
Top 1% in Georgia - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,775
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
58
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 181.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 359.4 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 50.0%
African American 34.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.5%
Two or More 3.1%
Largest group: White at 50.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.5, Harpst Academy is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Polk County, which includes Harpst Academy.
$12,775
Per student
-8%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.6%
State 52.0%
Federal 22.3%
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.
How Harpst Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedartown High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cedartown Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rockmart High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastside Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Van Wert Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harpst Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,448
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 997
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 956
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 693
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools in Cedartown
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Westside Elementary School
Standard public school
588 students 14:1 students per teacher
Cherokee Elementary School
Standard public school
575 students 12:1 students per teacher
Northside Elementary
Standard public school
531 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Youngs Grove Elementary School
Standard public school
490 students 11.7:1 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 (~32 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harpst Academy's federal record.
- Compare Harpst Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Polk 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 Harpst Academy
How many students attend Harpst Academy?
Harpst Academy has 32 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cedartown, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harpst Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Harpst Academy is 4.6:1, which is 68% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 71% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harpst Academy?
93.5% of students at Harpst Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harpst Academy?
The largest demographic group at Harpst Academy is White at 50.0% of enrollment, in Cedartown, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harpst Academy?
Harpst Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Harpst Academy rank among schools in Cedartown?
By Resource Investment Index, Harpst Academy ranks #1 of 5 schools in Cedartown, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cedartown on the city page.
Is Harpst Academy a good school?
Harpst Academy earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Georgia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Georgia. 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 Polk County?
Besides Harpst Academy, Polk County also operates Cedartown High School (1,448 students), Cedartown Middle School (997 students), and Rockmart High School (956 students). See the Polk 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.