Enrollment
1,587
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130129002526
Kell High School — Marietta, GA
Federal NCES profile for Kell High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 35
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 32
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: Cobb 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)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.4%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kell 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
Kell High School reports 1,587 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 93.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the Georgia average and 55% below the national baseline. The school offers 23 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 453 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cobb County spends $14,611 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 35.4% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Kell 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.4% | ▼ 61% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,587 | top 93% | — | — |
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
23.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 80% in Georgia — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.4%
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
$14,611
per pupil, district-wide
— below Georgia avg of $15,679
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.5 FTE
Per 453 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
255
in-school suspensions + 145 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,587 Top 93% in Georgia — larger than 7% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 93.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.4% -61% vs state
NCES ID 130129002526
Student demographics
White 43.0%
African American 24.8%
Hispanic or Latino 22.7%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 43.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 23
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.5
Students per counselor 453:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.4%
In-school suspensions 255
Out-of-school suspensions 145
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cobb County, which includes Kell High School.
$14,611
Per student
-7%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 11.9%
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
- 3,085
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,790
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,705
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,574
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,463
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar high schools in Marietta
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Osborne High School
Standard public school
2,790 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Walton High School
Standard public school
2,705 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Marietta High School
Standard public school
2,526 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Wheeler High School
Standard public school
2,401 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Lassiter High School
Standard public school
2,005 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Pope High School
Standard public school
1,793 students 18.1:1 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 Kell High School
How many students attend Kell High School?
Kell High School has 1,587 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marietta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kell High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kell High School is 16.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kell High School?
23.4% of students at Kell High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kell High School?
The largest demographic group at Kell High School is White at 43.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Marietta, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kell High School?
Kell High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.