Enrollment
870
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Oakland, MD
Southern Garrett High School
Federal NCES profile for Southern Garrett High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240036000674
👥 S:T ratio 28
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Garrett High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #6 of 6
- public schools in Oakland · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.1:1
- large classes for Maryland
- 35.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Garrett High School has class sizes larger than 90% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Garrett High School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Oakland, MD.
School address
District: Garrett County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240036000674 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.3%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Garrett High School compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Garrett High School
Southern Garrett High School is a mid-sized high school in Oakland, Maryland, enrolling 870 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.1:1 is larger than about 90% of Maryland schools and 25% above the 14.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 870 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 213 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #87.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Garrett County Public Schools spends $27,740 per pupil, 36% above the Maryland average, a better-resourced district than most.
Garrett County Public Schools also operates Broad Ford Elementary (601 students) and Northern Garrett High School (439 students) alongside Southern Garrett High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Southern Garrett High School compares
Southern Garrett High School on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.1:1 | ▲ 25% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.3% | ▼ 28% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 870 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
870
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.1:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 90% in Maryland - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$27,740
per pupil, district-wide
- above Maryland avg of $20,446
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 94.8%
Two or More 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 94.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, Southern Garrett High School is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garrett County Public Schools, which includes Southern Garrett High School.
$27,740
Per student
+36%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+67%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 60.1%
Federal 10.9%
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.
How Southern Garrett High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Ford Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northern Garrett High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southern Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northern Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Yough Glades Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Garrett High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 305
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 299
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~870 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Garrett High School's federal record.
- Compare Southern Garrett High School against another school. Compare schools
- Garrett County Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Southern Garrett High School
How many students attend Southern Garrett High School?
Southern Garrett High School has 870 students enrolled. It is a high school in Oakland, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Garrett High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Garrett High School is 18.1:1, which is 25% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern Garrett High School?
35.3% of students at Southern Garrett High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Garrett High School?
The largest demographic group at Southern Garrett High School is White at 94.8% of enrollment, in Oakland, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Garrett High School?
Southern Garrett High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southern Garrett High School rank among public schools in Oakland?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Garrett High School ranks #6 of 6 public schools in Oakland, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Oakland on the city page.
Is Southern Garrett High School a good school?
Southern Garrett High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Garrett County Public Schools?
Besides Southern Garrett High School, Garrett County Public Schools also operates Broad Ford Elementary (601 students), Northern Garrett High School (439 students), and Southern Middle School (434 students). See the Garrett County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.