Enrollment
1,974
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130255002004
Richards Middle School — Lawrenceville, GA
Federal NCES profile for Richards Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 42
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: Gwinnett 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)
127.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.6%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Richards 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
Richards Middle School reports 1,974 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 127.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% above the Georgia average and 27% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 395 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gwinnett County spends $14,002 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.3% from local sources (property taxes), 42.0% from the state, and 13.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Richards 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.6% | ▲ 8% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,974 | top 97% | — | — |
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
65.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 73% in Georgia — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,002
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 395 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
433
in-school suspensions + 280 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,974 Top 97% in Georgia — larger than 3% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 127.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.6% +8% vs state
NCES ID 130255002004
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 57.0%
African American 26.7%
Asian 8.4%
White 5.5%
Two or More 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 395:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.3%
In-school suspensions 433
Out-of-school suspensions 280
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gwinnett County, which includes Richards Middle School.
$14,002
Per student
-11%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.3%
State 42.0%
Federal 13.7%
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
- 3,803
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,627
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,216
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 3,155
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 3,058
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
Similar middle schools in Lawrenceville
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Creekland Middle School
Standard public school
1,693 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Sweetwater Middle School
Standard public school
1,470 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Crews Middle School
Standard public school
1,443 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Five Forks Middle School
Standard public school
1,239 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Moore Middle School
Standard public school
971 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Jordan Middle School
Standard public school
757 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
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 Richards Middle School
How many students attend Richards Middle School?
Richards Middle School has 1,974 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lawrenceville, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Richards Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Richards Middle School is 15.6:1, which is 8% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Richards Middle School?
65.6% of students at Richards Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Richards Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Richards Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 57.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lawrenceville, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Richards Middle School?
Richards Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.