Enrollment
956
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130228003368
Sandtown Middle School — Atlanta, GA
Federal NCES profile for Sandtown Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 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: Fulton 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)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.9%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandtown 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
Sandtown Middle School reports 956 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 63.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% below the Georgia average and 6% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 478 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fulton County spends $15,569 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 61.5% from local sources (property taxes), 26.9% from the state, and 11.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Sandtown 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.9% | ▼ 19% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 956 | top 79% | — | — |
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
48.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 85% in Georgia — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.6%
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
$15,569
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 478 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
229
in-school suspensions + 227 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 956 Top 79% in Georgia — larger than 21% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 63.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.9% -19% vs state
NCES ID 130228003368
Student demographics
African American 93.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
White 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 93.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 478:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.6%
In-school suspensions 229
Out-of-school suspensions 227
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fulton County, which includes Sandtown Middle School.
$15,569
Per student
-1%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 61.5%
State 26.9%
Federal 11.6%
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
- 2,056
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,035
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,024
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,999
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,891
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
Similar middle schools in Atlanta
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Sequoyah Middle School
Standard public school
1,713 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Willis a. Sutton Middle School
Standard public school
1,619 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Peachtree Middle School
Standard public school
1,214 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
David T Howard Middle School
Standard public school
1,073 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Ridgeview Charter School
Standard public school
945 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Martin L. King Jr. Middle School
Standard public school
879 students 13.4:1 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 Sandtown Middle School
How many students attend Sandtown Middle School?
Sandtown Middle School has 956 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Atlanta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandtown Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandtown Middle School is 16.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sandtown Middle School?
48.9% of students at Sandtown Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandtown Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sandtown Middle School is African American at 93.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Atlanta, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandtown Middle School?
Sandtown Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.