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Alumni: what's one memory from Friendship Elementary School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
673
Elementary
DISTRICT 618 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HALL COUNTY·NCES 130261001268
Friendship Elementary School
4450 Friendship Rd, Buford, GA 30519 · (770) 932-1223 · Hall County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL673 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.8:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
63%
422 students
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 74%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 13 | 2% |
| Kindergarten | 93 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 123 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 92 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 117 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 114 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 121 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (93) is 23% smaller than its 5th grade class (121).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Georgia Milestones 2024-25 . % Proficient or DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
36.8%
GA avg 40.1% . +4.9pp since 2021
Math
43.4%
GA avg 44.6% . +3.8pp since 2021
What this means: On the Georgia Milestones, Georgia's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 43 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Georgia schools, those numbers are about 40 and 45. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 4 points.
Georgia Milestones results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.8% | 43.4% |
| 2023-24 | 29.9% | 38.2% |
| 2022-23 | 27.3% | 34.4% |
| 2021-22 | 31.9% | 39.6% |
% Proficient or Distinguished, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Georgia Milestones. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
35.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.9%
based on GA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% typical for Georgia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Georgia's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Friendship Elementary School
Friendship Elementary School's state test result (35.7% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship Elementary School this school | 673 | 62.7% | 35.7% |
| Flowery Branch Elementary School Flowery Branch | 711 | 63.9% | 30.1% |
| Auburn Elementary School Auburn | 678 | 67.4% | 29.5% |
| Martin Elementary School Flowery Branch | 628 | 65.4% | 29.1% |
| Austin Road Elementary School Winder | 700 | 61.3% | 35.7% |
| Hamilton Crossing Elementary School Cartersville | 653 | 63.1% | 41.9% |
Matched among Georgia elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Friendship Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Georgia | In Hall County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.7% | #650 of 1,208 | #9 of 26 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.4% | #548 of 1,215 ▲ 98 | #9 of 26 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.8% | #549 of 1,215 ▲ 240 | #8 of 26 ▲ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +4.4pp | #427 of 1,183 | #8 of 24 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 673 | #426 of 1,324 | #12 of 27 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #1,116 of 1,301 | #17 of 27 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.1% | #302 of 1,301 | #4 of 27 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 62.7% | #909 of 1,312 | #20 of 27 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.3% | #331 of 386 | #11 of 13 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
673
+37 (+6%) vs 2020
+10% since 2000-01, when it was 613
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 15.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 673 | 44.6 | 15.1:1 | 63% (422) |
| 2023-24 | 694 | 44.5 | 15.6:1 | 69% (476) |
| 2022-23 | 684 | 46.2 | 14.8:1 | 56% (383) |
| 2020-21 | 636 | 42 | 15.1:1 | 50% (320) |
| 2017-18 | 658 | 38 | 17.3:1 | 53% (346) |
| 2015-16 | 664 | 37 | 17.9:1 | 51% (341) |
| 2010-11 | 694 | 38 | 18.3:1 | 41% (283) |
| 2000-01 | 613 | 37 | 16.6:1 | 22% (137) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Friendship Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (658 to 673); teachers up 17% (38 to 44.6).
About Friendship Elementary School
Friendship Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school. Its address is in Buford, Georgia. Students in pre-K through 5 make up the school's enrollment of 673 students.
Friendship Elementary School is one school in Hall County, a system of 38 schools with 28,028 students.
The largest group at Friendship Elementary School is White students, at 44%. Smaller groups are 38% Hispanic, 8% Black, 6% multiracial, and 4% Asian. For comparison, the population of Hall County is roughly 63% White. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Friendship Elementary School scores 65%.
Classroom staffing at Friendship Elementary School totals 44.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.1:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Georgia average 13.3:1. Federal data show 63% of students (422) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Hall County is similar, at 64%.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 44.9% at Friendship Elementary School; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 35.7%.
The county, Hall County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $80,901, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 27% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 9%. The county has 49 public schools and about 36,525 students.
Jones Middle School is about 2.1 miles from Friendship Elementary School, the shortest distance to any other public school. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Friendship Elementary School comes in 8th of 8 nearby schools on average proficiency.
NCES lists the school's locale as Suburb: Mid-size. That means it sits in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
The school's enrollment increased 6% from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
The allk12 page for Friendship Elementary School lets the school community talk about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Hall County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
212,705
Census ACS
Median income
$80,901
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
49
36,525 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hall County
- Johnson High SchoolHigh · 1,318 students
- Flowery Branch HighHigh · 1,304 students
- East Hall High SchoolHigh · 1,287 students
- West Hall High SchoolHigh · 1,274 students
- Chestatee High SchoolHigh · 1,245 students
- Cherokee Bluff High SchoolHigh · 1,202 students
Other schools in Buford
- Seckinger High SchoolHigh · 2,318 students
- Buford High SchoolHigh · 1,966 students
- Jones Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,758 students
- Twin Rivers Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,669 students
- Ivy Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 1,507 students
- Buford Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,426 students
Other Friendship Elementary schools
5 other US public schools in 6 states are named Friendship Elementary. Friendship Elementary School is the largest of the 6.
- Friendship ElementaryWinston-Salem, NC · 470 students
- Friendship Elementary SchoolKELLER, TX · 464 students
- FRIENDSHIP ELEMENTARY SCHOOLDELTONA, FL · 429 students
- Friendship Elementary SchoolGlen Rock, PA · 377 students
- Friendship ElementaryFriendship, TN · 117 students
Nearby schools
- Jones Middle School2.1 mi · 1,758
- Ivy Creek Elementary School2.5 mi · 1,507
- Buford Middle School2.6 mi · 1,426
- Buford Senior Academy2.9 mi · 1,368
- Buford Academy2.9 mi · 816
- Buford High School3.0 mi · 1,966
Frequently asked questions
About Friendship Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Friendship Elementary School?
Friendship Elementary School enrolls approximately 673 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Friendship Elementary School serve?
Friendship Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Friendship Elementary School?
Approximately 15.1:1 students per teacher at Friendship Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Friendship Elementary School?
At Friendship Elementary School, the student body is approximately 44% White, 38% Hispanic, 8% Black, 4% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Friendship Elementary School?
Friendship Elementary School is overseen by Hall County in Hall County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.