Enrollment
685
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gainesville, GA
Sugar Hill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sugar Hill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130261002570
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sugar Hill Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia schools.
- #16 of 21
- schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 65.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Sugar Hill Elementary has class sizes larger than 71% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sugar Hill Elementary ranks #16 of 21 schools in Gainesville, GA.
School address
District: Hall County · Georgia
NCES ID 130261002570 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sugar Hill Elementary compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sugar Hill Elementary
Sugar Hill Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gainesville, Georgia, enrolling 685 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.8% lands close to the Georgia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 685 students, its enrollment sits close to the Georgia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 337 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #212.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 685 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Gainesville's public schools, it stands alongside Chestatee Elementary (1,159 students): Sugar Hill Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.6:1 vs 14.3:1).
Hall County also operates Johnson High School (1,318 students) and Flowery Branch High (1,304 students) alongside Sugar Hill 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 Sugar Hill Elementary compares
Sugar Hill 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 8% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.8% | ▲ 8% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 685 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
685
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 71% in Georgia - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.8%
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
$12,147
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 685 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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
Hispanic or Latino 88.9%
White 6.7%
African American 2.3%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.4, Sugar Hill Elementary is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hall County, which includes Sugar Hill Elementary.
$12,147
Per student
-12%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.4%
State 42.9%
Federal 14.7%
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.
How Sugar Hill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Flowery Branch High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Hall High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Hall High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chestatee High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sugar Hill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,318
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,287
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,245
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar other schools in Gainesville
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Chestatee Elementary
Standard public school
1,159 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Mundy Mill Arts Academy
Standard public school
825 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Chicopee Elementary School
Standard public school
809 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Lyman Hall Elementary School
Standard public school
785 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy
Standard public school
767 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Centennial Arts Academy
Standard public school
760 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~685 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sugar Hill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sugar Hill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hall 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 Sugar Hill Elementary
How many students attend Sugar Hill Elementary?
Sugar Hill Elementary has 685 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gainesville, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sugar Hill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sugar Hill Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 8% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sugar Hill Elementary?
65.8% of students at Sugar Hill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sugar Hill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sugar Hill Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 88.9% of enrollment, in Gainesville, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sugar Hill Elementary?
Sugar Hill Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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).
How does Sugar Hill Elementary rank among schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Sugar Hill Elementary ranks #16 of 21 schools in Gainesville, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is Sugar Hill Elementary a good school?
Sugar Hill Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia 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 Hall County?
Besides Sugar Hill Elementary, Hall County also operates Johnson High School (1,318 students), Flowery Branch High (1,304 students), and East Hall High School (1,287 students). See the Hall 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.