Enrollment
450
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kathleen, GA
Matthew Arthur Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Matthew Arthur Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130288002331
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Matthew Arthur Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Georgia schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Kathleen · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.5:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 20.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Matthew Arthur Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 97% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Matthew Arthur Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Kathleen, GA.
School address
District: Houston County · Georgia
NCES ID 130288002331 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.3%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Matthew Arthur Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Matthew Arthur Elementary School
Matthew Arthur Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Kathleen, Georgia, enrolling 450 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.5:1, Matthew Arthur Elementary School is leaner than roughly 97% of Georgia schools and 41% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 20.3% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Georgia average.
Enrollment of 450 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 117 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #38.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and African American (28%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 429 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Houston County also operates Houston County High School (2,051 students) and Northside High School (1,949 students) alongside Matthew Arthur Elementary 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 Matthew Arthur Elementary School compares
Matthew Arthur Elementary 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 | 8.5:1 | ▼ 41% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.3% | ▼ 67% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 450 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.5:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
450
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 3% in Georgia - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,206
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 429 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.9 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
White 53.1%
African American 27.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 53.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.8, Matthew Arthur Elementary School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston County, which includes Matthew Arthur Elementary School.
$13,206
Per student
-5%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 52.2%
Federal 15.4%
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 Matthew Arthur Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northside High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Veterans High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Warner Robins High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Perry High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Matthew Arthur Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,051
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,940
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,812
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,615
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~450 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Matthew Arthur Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Matthew Arthur Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Houston 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 Matthew Arthur Elementary School
How many students attend Matthew Arthur Elementary School?
Matthew Arthur Elementary School has 450 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kathleen, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Matthew Arthur Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Matthew Arthur Elementary School is 8.5:1, which is 41% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 46% 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 Matthew Arthur Elementary School?
20.3% of students at Matthew Arthur Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Matthew Arthur Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Matthew Arthur Elementary School is White at 53.1% of enrollment, in Kathleen, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Matthew Arthur Elementary School?
Matthew Arthur Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Matthew Arthur Elementary School rank among public schools in Kathleen?
By Resource Investment Index, Matthew Arthur Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Kathleen, 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 Kathleen on the city page.
Is Matthew Arthur Elementary School a good school?
Matthew Arthur Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% 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 Houston County?
Besides Matthew Arthur Elementary School, Houston County also operates Houston County High School (2,051 students), Northside High School (1,949 students), and Veterans High School (1,940 students). See the Houston 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.