Enrollment
705
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 130129002107
Varner Elementary School — Powder Springs, GA
Federal NCES profile for Varner Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 45
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: Cobb 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)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Varner Elementary 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
Varner Elementary School reports 705 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% below the Georgia average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 353 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cobb County spends $14,611 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 35.4% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Varner Elementary 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▼ 29% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 705 | top 59% | — | — |
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
43.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% below the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 22% in Georgia — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$14,611
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 353 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 705 Top 59% in Georgia — larger than 41% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.3% -29% vs state
NCES ID 130129002107
Student demographics
African American 52.2%
Hispanic or Latino 22.3%
White 13.2%
Two or More 9.4%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 52.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 353:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.0%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cobb County, which includes Varner Elementary School.
$14,611
Per student
-7%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 11.9%
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
- 3,085
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,790
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,705
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,574
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,463
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar other schools in Powder Springs
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Kemp Elementary School
Standard public school
894 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Powder Springs Elementary School
Standard public school
805 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Still Elementary School
Standard public school
755 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Vaughan Elementary School
Standard public school
600 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Compton Elementary School
Standard public school
593 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Bessie L. Baggett Elementary
Standard public school
549 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
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 Varner Elementary School
How many students attend Varner Elementary School?
Varner Elementary School has 705 students enrolled. It is a other school in Powder Springs, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Varner Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Varner Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Varner Elementary School?
43.3% of students at Varner Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Varner Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Varner Elementary School is African American at 52.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Powder Springs, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Varner Elementary School?
Varner Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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.