Enrollment
885
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 130543001774
Wacona Elementary School — Waycross, GA
Federal NCES profile for Wacona Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 22
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: Ware 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.7%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wacona 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
Wacona Elementary School reports 885 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 32% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 93.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% above the Georgia average and 81% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 578 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ware County spends $15,108 per pupil district-wide, below the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% 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 29/100 (F), 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 Wacona 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 32% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.7% | ▲ 54% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 885 | 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
93.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 32% above state mean
Top 97% in Georgia — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.2%
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
$15,108
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 578 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 885 Top 75% in Georgia — larger than 25% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 93.7% +54% vs state
NCES ID 130543001774
Student demographics
White 57.6%
African American 27.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 57.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 578:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 57
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ware County, which includes Wacona Elementary School.
$15,108
Per student
-4%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.7%
State 52.1%
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
- 1,633
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar other schools in Waycross
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Wacona Elementary School
How many students attend Wacona Elementary School?
Wacona Elementary School has 885 students enrolled. It is a other school in Waycross, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wacona Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wacona Elementary School is 19.1:1, which is 32% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wacona Elementary School?
93.7% of students at Wacona Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wacona Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Wacona Elementary School is White at 57.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waycross, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wacona Elementary School?
Wacona Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) 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.