Enrollment
967
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rentz, GA
Southwest Laurens Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Laurens Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130189000879
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Laurens Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 84.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 967
- students enrolled
Southwest Laurens Elementary has class sizes near the Georgia median. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Laurens Elementary compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest Laurens Elementary
Southwest Laurens Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Rentz, Georgia, enrolling 967 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 84.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 967 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 274 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #115.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 484 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Laurens County also operates West Laurens High School (1,262 students) and West Laurens Middle School (898 students) alongside Southwest Laurens Elementary.
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 Southwest Laurens Elementary compares
Southwest Laurens Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.8% | ▲ 40% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 967 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
967
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Georgia - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.2%
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
$12,586
per pupil, district-wide
- below Georgia avg of $13,863
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 484 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 68.0%
African American 20.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 68.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.9, Southwest Laurens Elementary is about as mixed as the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Laurens County, which includes Southwest Laurens Elementary.
$12,586
Per student
-9%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.8%
State 56.4%
Federal 18.8%
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 Southwest Laurens Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Laurens High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Laurens Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwest Laurens Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Laurens High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Laurens Primary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwest Laurens Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,262
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 898
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Georgia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~967 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Laurens Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Southwest Laurens Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Laurens County'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 Southwest Laurens Elementary
How many students attend Southwest Laurens Elementary?
Southwest Laurens Elementary has 967 students enrolled. It is a public school in Rentz, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Laurens Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Laurens Elementary is 15.3:1, which is 6% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest Laurens Elementary?
84.8% of students at Southwest Laurens Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Laurens Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Laurens Elementary is White at 68.0% of enrollment, in Rentz, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Laurens Elementary?
Southwest Laurens Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Southwest Laurens Elementary a good school?
Southwest Laurens Elementary earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Georgia median. 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 Laurens County?
Besides Southwest Laurens Elementary, Laurens County also operates West Laurens High School (1,262 students), West Laurens Middle School (898 students), and Northwest Laurens Elementary (889 students). See the Laurens County 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.