Enrollment
179
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130081004361
Metter College and Career Academy — Metter, GA
Federal NCES profile for Metter College and Career Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 32
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 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: Candler 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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.4%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Metter College and Career Academy 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
Metter College and Career Academy reports 179 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% above the Georgia average and 63% above the national baseline. The school offers 2 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 218 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Candler County spends $13,690 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.6% from local sources (property taxes), 49.0% from the state, and 25.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Metter College and Career Academy 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.4% | ▲ 39% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 179 | top 5% | — | — |
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
84.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 87% in Georgia — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.4%
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
$13,690
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 218 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 22.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 179 Top 5% in Georgia — larger than 95% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.4% +39% vs state
NCES ID 130081004361
Student demographics
White 48.0%
African American 24.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.2%
Two or More 6.7%
Largest group: White at 48.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 218:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.4%
In-school suspensions 41
Out-of-school suspensions 32
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Candler County, which includes Metter College and Career Academy.
$13,690
Per student
-13%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.6%
State 49.0%
Federal 25.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar high schools in Metter
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Metter College and Career Academy
How many students attend Metter College and Career Academy?
Metter College and Career Academy has 179 students enrolled. It is a high school in Metter, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Metter College and Career Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Metter College and Career Academy is 17.1:1, which is 18% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Metter College and Career Academy?
84.4% of students at Metter College and Career Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Metter College and Career Academy?
The largest demographic group at Metter College and Career Academy is White at 48.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Metter, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Metter College and Career Academy?
Metter College and Career Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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.