Enrollment
1,077
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130078003299
Saint Marys Middle School — Saint Marys, GA
Federal NCES profile for Saint Marys Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 31
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: Camden 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)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.1%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saint Marys 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
Saint Marys Middle School reports 1,077 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 71.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% below the Georgia average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 359 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Camden County spends $12,811 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.1% from local sources (property taxes), 53.3% from the state, and 12.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Saint Marys 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 2% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.1% | ▼ 44% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,077 | top 84% | — | — |
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
34.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 60% in Georgia — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.7%
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
$12,811
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 359 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
183
in-school suspensions + 114 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,077 Top 84% in Georgia — larger than 16% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 71.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.1% -44% vs state
NCES ID 130078003299
Student demographics
White 57.1%
African American 19.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 9.5%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 57.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 359:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.7%
In-school suspensions 183
Out-of-school suspensions 114
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Camden County, which includes Saint Marys Middle School.
$12,811
Per student
-18%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 53.3%
Federal 12.6%
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
- 2,912
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,078
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 651
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
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 Saint Marys Middle School
How many students attend Saint Marys Middle School?
Saint Marys Middle School has 1,077 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Saint Marys, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saint Marys Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Saint Marys Middle School is 14.8:1, which is 2% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saint Marys Middle School?
34.1% of students at Saint Marys Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saint Marys Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Saint Marys Middle School is White at 57.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Saint Marys, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saint Marys Middle School?
Saint Marys Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.