Enrollment
973
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130029002017
Russell Middle School — Winder, GA
Federal NCES profile for Russell Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 0
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: Barrow 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)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.6%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Russell 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
Russell Middle School reports 973 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 57.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Georgia average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 487 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Barrow County spends $14,450 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.1% from local sources (property taxes), 46.9% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F), 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 Russell 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.6% | ▼ 35% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 973 | top 80% | — | — |
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
39.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 81% in Georgia — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.1%
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
$14,450
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 487 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
161
in-school suspensions + 98 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 973 Top 80% in Georgia — larger than 20% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 57.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.6% -35% vs state
NCES ID 130029002017
Student demographics
White 46.6%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
African American 12.4%
Two or More 7.3%
Asian 6.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 46.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 487:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.1%
In-school suspensions 161
Out-of-school suspensions 98
Expulsions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Barrow County, which includes Russell Middle School.
$14,450
Per student
-8%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.1%
State 46.9%
Federal 16.0%
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
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,869
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 973
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 967
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 813
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar middle schools in Winder
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Russell Middle School
How many students attend Russell Middle School?
Russell Middle School has 973 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Winder, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Russell Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Russell Middle School is 16.3:1, which is 12% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Russell Middle School?
39.6% of students at Russell Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Russell Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Russell Middle School is White at 46.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Winder, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Russell Middle School?
Russell Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) 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.