Public schools in Georgia

The NCES directory lists 2,329 public schools operating in Georgia in 2024-25; 2,287 of them reported 1,728,198 students, averaging 13.9 students per teacher, tied for 25th with Hawaii and South Carolina of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Gwinnett County, with 182,501 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,2871,289 elementary, 475 middle, 478 high, 45 other
Students1,728,1983.6% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher13.9U.S. 15.3

Georgia has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Georgia ranks 25th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Iowa14.1
  2. Maryland14.1
  3. Mississippi14.0
  4. Georgia13.9
  5. Hawaii13.9
  6. South Carolina13.9
  7. Virginia13.8

Eight in ten larger Georgia districts spent between $11,853 and $16,867 per student

Among the 169 Georgia districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $11,853 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $16,867; the median was $13,981. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Georgia districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23169 values from $7,705 to $23,046; ; state median $13,981.$11,853$16,867the middle eight in ten$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,981
Current spending per student, Georgia districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23169 values from $7,705 to $23,046; ; state median $13,981.$11,853$16,867the middle eight in ten$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,981
Current spending per student, Georgia districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23169 values from $7,705 to $23,046; ; state median $13,981.$11,853$16,867the middle eight in ten$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,981
Current spending per student, Georgia districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23169 values from $7,705 to $23,046; ; state median $13,981.$11,853$16,867the middle eight in ten$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,981

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 40.1% of the Georgia students tested met the state's reading standard and 38.7% its math standard. Georgia writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Georgia's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 84.4% of 134,822 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Georgia almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Georgia Cyber Academy, 9,952 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, 3.3 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Hancock County, $25,667 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Cobb County, $81,518 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Hambrick Elementary School, 0.2% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Greenville Middle School, 71 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: City Schools of Decatur, 57.8 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Georgia

  1. Gwinnett County182,501
  2. Cobb County105,738
  3. DeKalb County91,752
  4. Fulton County86,772
  5. Forsyth County School District54,864
  6. Clayton County Public Schools50,740
  7. Atlanta Public Schools49,296
  8. Cherokee County42,031

Every Georgia school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Atlanta93,793 students137 schools
  2. Marietta53,133 students60 schools
  3. Savannah27,308 students47 schools
  4. Columbus26,269 students47 schools
  5. Macon24,368 students41 schools
  6. Decatur21,904 students41 schools
  7. Augusta21,535 students39 schools
  8. Lawrenceville44,724 students37 schools
  9. Gainesville24,793 students32 schools
  10. Cumming37,949 students30 schools
  11. Douglasville23,014 students29 schools
  12. Alpharetta29,794 students29 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Georgia's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Georgia?
    The NCES directory lists 2,329 operating in 2024-25; 2,287 of them reported students: 1,289 elementary, 475 middle, 478 high and 45 other, enrolling 1,728,198 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Georgia?
    13.9 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Georgia?
    Gwinnett County, with 182,501 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Georgia spend per public-school student?
    $14,283 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .