Enrollment
1,633
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 130489002146
Thomas County Central High School — Thomasville, GA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas County Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 28
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: Thomas 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)
101.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas County Central High 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
Thomas County Central High School reports 1,633 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 101.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Georgia average and 48% above the national baseline. The school offers 21 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 544 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Thomas County spends $14,962 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.8% from local sources (property taxes), 54.7% from the state, and 17.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Thomas County Central High 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 3% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.8% | ▲ 27% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,633 | top 94% | — | — |
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
76.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 63% in Georgia — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.7%
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
$14,962
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 544 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
321
in-school suspensions + 142 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 46 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,633 Top 94% in Georgia — larger than 6% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 101.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.8% +27% vs state
NCES ID 130489002146
Student demographics
White 56.0%
African American 31.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 56.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 544:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.7%
In-school suspensions 321
Out-of-school suspensions 142
Expulsions 46
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Thomas County, which includes Thomas County Central High School.
$14,962
Per student
-5%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 54.7%
Federal 17.6%
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
- 1,665
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 811
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 712
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar high schools in Thomasville
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Thomas County Central High School
How many students attend Thomas County Central High School?
Thomas County Central High School has 1,633 students enrolled. It is a high school in Thomasville, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas County Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas County Central High School is 15:1, which is 3% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas County Central High School?
76.8% of students at Thomas County Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas County Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Thomas County Central High School is White at 56.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Thomasville, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas County Central High School?
Thomas County Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.