Enrollment
894
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130528001723
Upson-Lee Middle School — Thomaston, GA
Federal NCES profile for Upson-Lee Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 16
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: Thomaston-Upson 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)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.8%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Upson-Lee Middle 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
Upson-Lee Middle School reports 894 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 64.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 82.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% above the Georgia average and 60% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 298 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Thomaston-Upson County spends $15,094 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), 50.0% from the state, and 22.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Upson-Lee Middle 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 0% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.8% | ▲ 36% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 894 | top 75% | — | — |
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
82.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 54% in Georgia — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$15,094
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 298 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
208
in-school suspensions + 133 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 23 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 894 Top 75% in Georgia — larger than 25% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 64.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 82.8% +36% vs state
NCES ID 130528001723
Student demographics
White 51.9%
African American 36.0%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 51.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 298:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.6%
In-school suspensions 208
Out-of-school suspensions 133
Expulsions 23
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Thomaston-Upson County, which includes Upson-Lee Middle School.
$15,094
Per student
-4%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 50.0%
Federal 22.2%
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
- 1,177
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 993
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
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 Upson-Lee Middle School
How many students attend Upson-Lee Middle School?
Upson-Lee Middle School has 894 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Thomaston, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Upson-Lee Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Upson-Lee Middle School is 14.5:1, which is 0% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Upson-Lee Middle School?
82.8% of students at Upson-Lee Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Upson-Lee Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Upson-Lee Middle School is White at 51.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Thomaston, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Upson-Lee Middle School?
Upson-Lee Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.