Hispanic enrollment at Barber Middle School rises to 197 for 2024-25

Barber Middle School reported an enrollment of 197 Hispanic students for the 2024-25 academic year, reflecting a 4.2% increase compared to the prior year based on Georgia Department of Education data.

During 2024-25, the school had a total enrollment of 789 students. Hispanic students represented 25% of the student population, making them the school’s third-largest demographic group.

The campus is situated in the Cobb County School District, which has its central office in Marietta.

Across Cobb County School District’s 110 schools, Osborne High School had the highest Hispanic student enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year, with 1,809 students.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that public school students in Georgia are roughly 36.4% Black, 35.9% white, 18.1% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4.6% multiracial, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.

Chronic absenteeism continues to challenge Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more school days in 2024, the Georgia Department of Education reports. To address the issue, GaDOE has introduced a statewide program that features a real-time attendance dashboard, a campaign to raise awareness, and targeted support for districts with higher needs to improve daily attendance rates.

In 2025, state lawmakers updated Georgia’s attendance laws, prohibiting expulsion based solely on absenteeism and establishing new reporting standards aligned with diploma completion efforts through alternative pathways.

By 2026, Georgia maintained an average student-to-teacher ratio of about 14:1, which was lower than the national average of 15:1.