Enrollment
851
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 130012000124
Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School — Atlanta, GA
Federal NCES profile for Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 63
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: Atlanta Public Schools · 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
13.7:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.7%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sara Rawson Smith Elementary 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
Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School reports 851 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 63.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% below the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the Georgia average and 54% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 851 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Atlanta Public Schools spends $24,033 per pupil district-wide, above the Georgia average of $15,679 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.7% from local sources (property taxes), 15.6% from the state, and 15.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Sara Rawson Smith Elementary 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.7% | ▼ 61% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 851 | top 72% | — | — |
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
23.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 39% in Georgia — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$24,033
per pupil, district-wide
— above Georgia avg of $15,679
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 851 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 851 Top 72% in Georgia — larger than 28% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 63.0
Students per teacher 13.7:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.7% -61% vs state
NCES ID 130012000124
Student demographics
African American 33.1%
White 27.4%
Hispanic or Latino 25.0%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 33.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 851:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.0%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Atlanta Public Schools, which includes Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School.
$24,033
Per student
+53%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.7%
State 15.6%
Federal 15.7%
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
- 2,368
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,696
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,619
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,549
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,338
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
Similar other schools in Atlanta
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Georgia Cyber Academy
Standard public school
9,952 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Doraville United Elementary School
Standard public school
1,003 students 18:1 students per teacher
Charles R. Drew Charter School
Standard public school
961 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Charles Drew Charter Ja/Sr Academy
Standard public school
941 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Cobb Horizon High School
Standard public school
927 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Morris Brandon Elementary School
Standard public school
911 students 14.7:1 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 Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School
How many students attend Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?
Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School has 851 students enrolled. It is a other school in Atlanta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School is 13.7:1, which is 6% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?
23.7% of students at Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School is African American at 33.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Atlanta, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?
Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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.