Enrollment
279
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hiawassee, GA
Towns County High School
Federal NCES profile for Towns County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 130507002999
👥 S:T ratio 55
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Towns County High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Georgia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Georgia schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Hiawassee · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Towns County High School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Towns County High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Hiawassee, GA.
School address
District: Towns County · Georgia
NCES ID 130507002999 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Towns County High School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Towns County High School
Towns County High School is a small high school in Hiawassee, Georgia, enrolling 279 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.2:1, Towns County High School is leaner than roughly 88% of Georgia schools and 22% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Georgia schools, with 279 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 57 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #34.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Towns County spends $17,231 per pupil, 24% above the Georgia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 58 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 279 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Towns County also operates Towns County Elementary School (490 students) and Towns County Middle School (197 students) alongside Towns 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 Towns County High School compares
Towns 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 22% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 35% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 279 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
279
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 12% in Georgia - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.4%
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
$17,231
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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 90.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 90.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.2, Towns County High School is less mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Towns County, which includes Towns County High School.
$17,231
Per student
+24%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.9%
State 25.3%
Federal 14.8%
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 Towns County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towns County Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Towns County Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Towns County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 197
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~279 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Towns County High School's federal record.
- Compare Towns County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Towns 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 Towns County High School
How many students attend Towns County High School?
Towns County High School has 279 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hiawassee, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Towns County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Towns County High School is 11.2:1, which is 22% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Towns County High School?
39.2% of students at Towns County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Towns County High School?
The largest demographic group at Towns County High School is White at 90.7% of enrollment, in Hiawassee, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Towns County High School?
Towns County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Towns County High School rank among public schools in Hiawassee?
By Resource Investment Index, Towns County High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Hiawassee, 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 Hiawassee on the city page.
Is Towns County High School a good school?
Towns County High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Towns County?
Besides Towns County High School, Towns County also operates Towns County Elementary School (490 students) and Towns County Middle School (197 students). See the Towns 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.