Enrollment
2,207
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Tifton, GA
Tift County High School
Federal NCES profile for Tift County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 130498002282
👥 S:T ratio 33
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tift County High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Georgia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Georgia.
- #10 of 10
- public schools in Tifton · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Tift County High School has class sizes larger than 83% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tift County High School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Tifton, GA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
131.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tift County High School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tift County High School
Tift County High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Tifton, Georgia, enrolling 2,207 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 65% above the Georgia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Georgia, bigger than 98% of state schools at 2,207 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 25 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #8.
Its student body is led by White (39%) and African American (36%) (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 424 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 508 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 2,207 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 97 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Tift County also operates Eighth Street Middle School (883 students) and Annie Belle Clark Elementary School (785 students) alongside Tift County 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 Tift County High School compares
Tift County High School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 65% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,207 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,207
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 83% in Georgia - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.3%
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
$12,730
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
Counselors5.2 FTE
Per 424 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
251
in-school suspensions + 257 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 97 expulsions.
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 39.0%
African American 35.5%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 39.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.9, Tift County High School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tift County, which includes Tift County High School.
$12,730
Per student
-8%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 47.6%
Federal 22.3%
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 Tift County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eighth Street Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Annie Belle Clark Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northeast Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| G. O. Bailey Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Len Lastinger Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tift County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 883
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 785
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar high 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 (~2,207 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tift County High School's federal record.
- Compare Tift County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Tift 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 Tift County High School
How many students attend Tift County High School?
Tift County High School has 2,207 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tifton, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tift County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tift County High School is 16.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tift County High School?
100.0% of students at Tift County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tift County High School?
The largest demographic group at Tift County High School is White at 39.0% of enrollment, in Tifton, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tift County High School?
Tift County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Tift County High School rank among public schools in Tifton?
By Resource Investment Index, Tift County High School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Tifton, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Tifton on the city page.
Is Tift County High School a good school?
Tift County High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Georgia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Georgia. 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 Tift County?
Besides Tift County High School, Tift County also operates Eighth Street Middle School (883 students), Annie Belle Clark Elementary School (785 students), and Northeast Middle School (733 students). See the Tift 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.