Enrollment
429
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Waycross, GA
Waresboro Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Waresboro Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 130543001775
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waresboro Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Georgia schools.
- #5 of 5
- elementary schools in Waycross · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 93.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Waresboro Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 73% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waresboro Elementary School ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Waycross, GA.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.7%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waresboro Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waresboro Elementary School
Waresboro Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Waycross, Georgia, enrolling 429 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 93.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 429 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Against 410 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #131.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 429 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 22.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Waycross's elementary schools, it stands alongside Center Elementary School (470 students): Waresboro Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 13.8:1).
Ware County also operates Ware County High School (1,633 students) and Wacona Elementary School (885 students) alongside Waresboro Elementary 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 Waresboro Elementary School compares
Waresboro Elementary 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.7% | ▲ 54% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 429 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
429
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 27% in Georgia - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.9%
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
$14,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 429 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 56.4%
African American 24.2%
Hispanic or Latino 11.2%
Two or More 7.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.5, Waresboro Elementary School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ware County, which includes Waresboro Elementary School.
$14,213
Per student
+3%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Waresboro Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ware County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wacona Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ware County Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waycross Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Center Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waresboro Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,633
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 885
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools in Waycross
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Center Elementary School
Standard public school
470 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Williams Heights Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
Ruskin Elementary School
Standard public school
363 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
Memorial Drive Elementary School
Standard public school
346 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~429 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waresboro Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Waresboro Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ware 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 Waresboro Elementary School
How many students attend Waresboro Elementary School?
Waresboro Elementary School has 429 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Waycross, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waresboro Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waresboro Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 20% 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 Waresboro Elementary School?
93.7% of students at Waresboro Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waresboro Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Waresboro Elementary School is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Waycross, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waresboro Elementary School?
Waresboro Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waresboro Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Waycross?
By Resource Investment Index, Waresboro Elementary School ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Waycross, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Waycross on the city page.
Is Waresboro Elementary School a good school?
Waresboro Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of 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 Ware County?
Besides Waresboro Elementary School, Ware County also operates Ware County High School (1,633 students), Wacona Elementary School (885 students), and Ware County Middle School (752 students). See the Ware 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.