Enrollment
866
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130129000242
Smitha Middle School — Marietta, GA
Federal NCES profile for Smitha Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 15
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: Cobb 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)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.0%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smitha 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
Smitha Middle School reports 866 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 68.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% above the Georgia average and 33% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 289 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cobb County spends $14,611 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 35.4% from the state, and 11.9% 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 Smitha 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.0% | ▲ 14% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 866 | top 73% | — | — |
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
69.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 28% in Georgia — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.9%
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
$14,611
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 289 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
189
in-school suspensions + 155 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 866 Top 73% in Georgia — larger than 27% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 68.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.0% +14% vs state
NCES ID 130129000242
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.2%
African American 26.9%
White 5.0%
Two or More 2.4%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 289:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.9%
In-school suspensions 189
Out-of-school suspensions 155
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cobb County, which includes Smitha Middle School.
$14,611
Per student
-7%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 11.9%
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
- 3,085
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,790
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,705
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,574
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,463
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar middle schools in Marietta
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
East Cobb Middle School
Standard public school
1,352 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Marietta Middle School
Standard public school
1,352 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Dickerson Middle School
Standard public school
1,225 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Dodgen Middle School
Standard public school
1,178 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Hightower Trail Middle School
Standard public school
944 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Mabry Middle School
Standard public school
938 students 16.1:1 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 Smitha Middle School
How many students attend Smitha Middle School?
Smitha Middle School has 866 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Marietta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smitha Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smitha Middle School is 13:1, which is 10% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 18% 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 Smitha Middle School?
69.0% of students at Smitha Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smitha Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Smitha Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 63.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Marietta, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smitha Middle School?
Smitha Middle 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.