Enrollment
268
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lithonia, GA
Leadership Preparatory Academy
Federal NCES profile for Leadership Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 130174004006Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Leadership Preparatory Academy earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia schools.
- #1 of 20
- public schools in Lithonia · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.9:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 52.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Leadership Preparatory Academy has class sizes larger than 90% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Leadership Preparatory Academy ranks #1 of 20 public schools in Lithonia, GA.
School address
District: Dekalb County · Georgia
NCES ID 130174004006 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.2%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Leadership Preparatory Academy compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Leadership Preparatory Academy
Leadership Preparatory Academy is a higher-need, small charter elementary school in Lithonia, Georgia, enrolling 268 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.9:1 is larger than about 90% of Georgia schools and 24% above the 14.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.2% lands close to the Georgia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Georgia schools, with 268 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,314 Georgia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 62 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
11.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dekalb County also operates Lakeside High School (2,234 students) and Dunwoody High School (2,012 students) alongside Leadership Preparatory 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 Leadership Preparatory Academy compares
Leadership Preparatory 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 24% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.2% | ▼ 14% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.9:1
Leaner classes than 25% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
268
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 90% in Georgia - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,594
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.9 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
African American 95.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
Two or More 1.1%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 95.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.0, Leadership Preparatory Academy is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb County, which includes Leadership Preparatory Academy.
$15,594
Per student
+12%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.6%
State 32.7%
Federal 15.7%
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 Leadership Preparatory Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dunwoody High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chamblee High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cross Keys High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sequoyah Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Leadership Preparatory Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,234
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,012
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,867
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,748
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary 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 (~268 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Leadership Preparatory Academy's federal record.
- Compare Leadership Preparatory Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Dekalb 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 Leadership Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Leadership Preparatory Academy?
Leadership Preparatory Academy has 268 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lithonia, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leadership Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Leadership Preparatory Academy is 17.9:1, which is 24% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Leadership Preparatory Academy?
52.2% of students at Leadership Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leadership Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Leadership Preparatory Academy is African American at 95.9% of enrollment, in Lithonia, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leadership Preparatory Academy?
Leadership Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Leadership Preparatory Academy rank among public schools in Lithonia?
By Resource Investment Index, Leadership Preparatory Academy ranks #1 of 20 public schools in Lithonia, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Lithonia on the city page.
Is Leadership Preparatory Academy a good school?
Leadership Preparatory Academy earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia schools. 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 Dekalb County?
Besides Leadership Preparatory Academy, Dekalb County also operates Lakeside High School (2,234 students), Dunwoody High School (2,012 students), and Chamblee High School (1,867 students). See the Dekalb 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.