In the 2024-25 school year, Richards Middle School enrolled 99 white students, reflecting a 3.9% decrease compared with the prior year, reports from the Georgia Department of Education show.
The school’s overall enrollment reached 1,987 students. White students represented 5% of the total, making them the second-smallest demographic group at the school.
Richards Middle School operates under Gwinnett County School District, whose central office is located in Lawrenceville.
Of the 140 schools in the Gwinnett County School District, North Gwinnett High School reported the largest white student enrollment for the 2024-25 term with 1,113 students.
According to the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 report, more than 1.7 million students attended public schools across Georgia. Elementary grades had the highest enrollment at 787,206 students (45.9%), followed by middle school with 388,733 students (22.7%), and high school with 539,092 students (31.4%).
Chronic absenteeism remains prevalent in Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more days in 2024, per the Georgia Department of Education. To address the issue, GaDOE introduced a statewide initiative including a real-time attendance dashboard, public awareness outreach, and specialized support for districts most in need to encourage regular attendance.
Georgia legislators in 2025 updated attendance laws to prohibit expulsion for absenteeism alone. The new legislation also increases reporting and aligns rules with alternative diploma programs.
By 2026, Georgia’s statewide student-to-teacher ratio was roughly 14:1, better than the national average of 15:1.
| School Year | Total Enrollment | Total white students | % of white students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 2,172 | 347 | 16% |
| 2011-12 | 1,401 | 182 | 13% |
| 2012-13 | 1,426 | 171 | 12% |
| 2013-14 | 1,538 | 169 | 11% |
| 2014-15 | 1,578 | 173 | 11% |
| 2015-16 | 1,955 | 136 | 7% |
| 2016-17 | 2,070 | 165 | 8% |
| 2017-18 | 2,173 | 152 | 7% |
| 2018-19 | 2,178 | 152 | 7% |
| 2019-20 | 2,178 | 130 | 6% |
| 2020-21 | 2,191 | 131 | 6% |
| 2021-22 | 2,104 | 105 | 5% |
| 2022-23 | 2,000 | 100 | 5% |
| 2023-24 | 2,061 | 103 | 5% |
| 2024-25 | 1,987 | 99 | 5% |
