Enrollment
1,323
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Forsyth, GA
Mary Persons High School
Federal NCES profile for Mary Persons High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 130372001373
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mary Persons High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Georgia schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Forsyth · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 35.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Mary Persons High School has class sizes larger than 87% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mary Persons High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Forsyth, GA.
School address
District: Monroe County · Georgia
NCES ID 130372001373 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.4%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Persons High School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mary Persons High School
Mary Persons High School is a large high school in Forsyth, Georgia, enrolling 1,323 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.4:1 is larger than about 87% of Georgia schools and 21% above the 14.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Georgia, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,323 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 265 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #114.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 441 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Discipline events run high: 325 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,323 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Forsyth's high schools, it stands alongside Department of Corrections (121 students): Mary Persons High School is larger than that campus by headcount.
Monroe County also operates Monroe County Middle School- Banks Stephens Campus (1,062 students) and T.G. Scott Elementary School (835 students) alongside Mary Persons High School.
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 Mary Persons High School compares
Mary Persons High School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.4% | ▼ 42% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,323 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,323
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in Georgia - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,948
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 441 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
197
in-school suspensions + 128 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.6 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 67.4%
African American 23.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Two or More 3.6%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.6, Mary Persons High School is about as mixed as the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Monroe County, which includes Mary Persons High School.
$13,948
Per student
+1%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 35.5%
Federal 11.7%
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 Mary Persons High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County Middle School- Banks Stephens Campus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| T.G. Scott Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Samuel E. Hubbard Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Katherine B. Sutton Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mary Persons High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,062
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 835
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high schools in Forsyth
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,323 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mary Persons High School's federal record.
- Compare Mary Persons High School against another school. Compare schools
- Monroe 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 Mary Persons High School
How many students attend Mary Persons High School?
Mary Persons High School has 1,323 students enrolled. It is a high school in Forsyth, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Persons High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Persons High School is 17.4:1, which is 21% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mary Persons High School?
35.4% of students at Mary Persons High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Persons High School?
The largest demographic group at Mary Persons High School is White at 67.4% of enrollment, in Forsyth, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Persons High School?
Mary Persons High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mary Persons High School rank among public schools in Forsyth?
By Resource Investment Index, Mary Persons High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Forsyth, 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 Forsyth on the city page.
Is Mary Persons High School a good school?
Mary Persons High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of 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 Monroe County?
Besides Mary Persons High School, Monroe County also operates Monroe County Middle School- Banks Stephens Campus (1,062 students), T.G. Scott Elementary School (835 students), and Samuel E. Hubbard Elementary School (753 students). See the Monroe 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.