Enrollment
478
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Albany, GA
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet
Federal NCES profile for Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 130183002546
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia schools.
- #1 of 4
- middle schools in Albany · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet has class sizes smaller than 73% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet ranks #1 of 4 middle schools in Albany, GA.
School address
District: Dougherty County · Georgia
NCES ID 130183002546 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Albany, Georgia, enrolling 478 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 65% above the Georgia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 478 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 403 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #126.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 478 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Albany's middle schools, it stands alongside Merry Acres Middle School (807 students): Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 18.3:1).
Dougherty County also operates Westover High School (1,234 students) and Dougherty Comprehensive High School (1,191 students) alongside Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet.
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 Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet compares
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 65% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
478
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 27% in Georgia - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.3%
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
$16,262
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 478 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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
African American 86.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 2.9%
White 2.7%
Asian 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.8, Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dougherty County, which includes Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet.
$16,262
Per student
+17%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.8%
State 42.8%
Federal 27.4%
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 Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westover High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dougherty Comprehensive High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Monroe High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Live Oak Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merry Acres Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,234
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,191
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,189
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 833
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar middle schools in Albany
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~478 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet's federal record.
- Compare Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet against another school. Compare schools
- Dougherty 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 Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet
How many students attend Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet?
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet has 478 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Albany, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet?
The student-teacher ratio at Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet is 12.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 20% 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 Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet?
100.0% of students at Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet?
The largest demographic group at Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet is African American at 86.4% of enrollment, in Albany, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet?
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet rank among middle schools in Albany?
By Resource Investment Index, Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet ranks #1 of 4 middle schools in Albany, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Albany on the city page.
Is Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet a good school?
Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Dougherty County?
Besides Robert a. Cross Middle Magnet, Dougherty County also operates Westover High School (1,234 students), Dougherty Comprehensive High School (1,191 students), and Monroe High School (1,189 students). See the Dougherty 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.