Enrollment
818
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130339001315
Lowndes Middle School — Valdosta, GA
Federal NCES profile for Lowndes Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 54
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: Lowndes 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)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lowndes 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
Lowndes Middle School reports 818 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 62.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% above the Georgia average and 39% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 409 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lowndes County spends $14,361 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.0% from local sources (property taxes), 48.3% from the state, and 16.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Lowndes 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.8% | ▲ 18% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 818 | top 70% | — | — |
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
71.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 36% in Georgia — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,361
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 409 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
129
in-school suspensions + 124 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 818 Top 70% in Georgia — larger than 30% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 62.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.8% +18% vs state
NCES ID 130339001315
Student demographics
White 52.0%
African American 22.6%
Hispanic or Latino 19.2%
Two or More 5.7%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 52.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 409:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 129
Out-of-school suspensions 124
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lowndes County, which includes Lowndes Middle School.
$14,361
Per student
-8%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.0%
State 48.3%
Federal 16.7%
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
- 3,152
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 904
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 843
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
Similar middle schools in Valdosta
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Lowndes Middle School
How many students attend Lowndes Middle School?
Lowndes Middle School has 818 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Valdosta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lowndes Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lowndes Middle School is 13.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lowndes Middle School?
71.8% of students at Lowndes Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lowndes Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Lowndes Middle School is White at 52.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Valdosta, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lowndes Middle School?
Lowndes Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.