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Hightower Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1019^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,238 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Hightower Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Doraville, Georgia, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 619 students. The school is part of the DeKalb County School District, which is ranked 131 out of 206 districts in Georgia and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Hightower Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Georgia elementary schools, with a ranking between 1000-1190 out of around 1200-1250 schools over the past 10 years, and has a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hightower Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the DeKalb County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students proficient or better in ELA ranged from 10.4% to 25.8%, compared to 29.1% to 34.9% for DeKalb County and 34.9% to 43% for the state. The school's math proficiency rates were also significantly lower than the district and state. Additionally, Hightower Elementary has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 93.38% to 97.74% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools, such as Vanderlyn Elementary, Montgomery Elementary, and Dunwoody Elementary, which have rates ranging from 8.11% to 95.7%.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending of around $10,300 to $11,600 in recent years, which is on par with or slightly higher than the nearby schools, Hightower Elementary continues to struggle academically. This stark contrast in performance compared to the higher-performing nearby schools suggests a potential need for more targeted interventions and support to address the specific learning needs of the student population at Hightower Elementary.

604

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,101

Per pupil spending ?

88.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4236 Tilly Mill Rd
Doraville, GA 30360

(678) 676-7302

District: DeKalb County

Students who attend Hightower Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Peachtree Middle School
High:	Dunwoody High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.7%

African American:

3.3%

Asian:

3.1%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Hightower Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 19th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (22% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 20 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg33%

Georgia avg42%

1,019^th of 1,238

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

46^th of 81Elementary Schools in the DeKalb County

131^st of 206DeKalb County among Georgia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	18.5	1019 of 1238	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	1190 of 1248	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	1111 of 1242	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	1105 of 1244	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	1108 of 1214	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	1057 of 1234	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.1	1045 of 1209	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.7	1035 of 1205	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.9	1027 of 1233	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.5	1000 of 1240	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.1	975 of 1231	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.7	984 of 1225	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.2	882 of 1201	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.0	941 of 1212	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	46.7	743 of 1183	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.1	750 of 1133	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	33.3	854 of 1134	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.2	903 of 1125	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.1	1031 of 1101	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

Science25%-19 vs state

Mathematics25%-20 vs state

English Language Arts19%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hightower Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)			Milestones Assessment Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hightower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4236 Tilly Mill Rd	Doraville	30360	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-7302	604	49	12.3	88.6%	5 (0.8%)	20 (3.3%)	554 (91.7%)	19 (3.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	18.5	1019^th of 1238 public elementary schools	17.7%		9.9	1190^th of 1248 public elementary schools	4.6%	171	20.4	10.4	25.8	29.1	27.8	17.2	25.0	$19,101	$1,962	$17,139
Chesnut Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4576 N Peachtree Rd	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-7102	551	43	12.8	51.7%	131 (23.8%)	179 (32.5%)	165 (29.9%)	36 (6.5%)	6 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (5.8%)	68.2	346^th of 1238 public elementary schools	72.1%		79.7	237^th of 1248 public elementary schools	81.0%	109	44.4	53.3	64.4	50.0	40.0	56.2	42.5	$19,949	$1,738	$18,211
Huntley Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2112 Seaman Cir	Chamblee	30341	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-7402	507	41	12.3	80.5%	86 (17.0%)	103 (20.3%)	240 (47.3%)	47 (9.3%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	23 (4.5%)	38.9	702^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	43.3%		37.4	735^th of 1248 public elementary schools	41.1%	33	36.4	23.0	39.7	36.4	39.3	29.4	33.8	$21,190	$1,846	$19,344
Doraville United Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3630 Shallowford Rd NE	Atlanta	30340	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 202-0093	1,003	69	14.5	99.6%	8 (0.8%)	36 (3.6%)	927 (92.4%)	15 (1.5%)	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	9.6	1188^th of 1238 public elementary schools	4.0%		9.9	1187^th of 1248 public elementary schools	4.9%	1	14.3	13.3	13.0	13.7	19.9	13.9	13.0	$17,565	$1,818	$15,746
Oakcliff Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3151 Willow Oak Way	Doraville	30340	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-3102	621	46	13.5	100.0%	4 (0.6%)	23 (3.7%)	551 (88.7%)	41 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26.3	904^th of 1238 public elementary schools	27.0%		30.7	840^th of 1248 public elementary schools	32.7%	64	27.8	28.6	20.7	25.8	38.1	32.9	12.2	$17,964	$2,024	$15,940
Dunwoody Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1923 Womack Rd	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 875-4002	790	56	14.1	22.4%	253 (32.0%)	184 (23.3%)	84 (10.6%)	221 (28.0%)	9 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.9%)	89.1	135^th of 1238 public elementary schools	89.1%		95.2	63^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	95.0%	72	59.7	54.7	73.8	71.6	51.6	67.5	77.4	$18,133	$1,847	$16,286
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2051 Brendon Dr	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-8902	386	35	11.0	69.4%	79 (20.5%)	32 (8.3%)	243 (63.0%)	14 (3.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.9%)	41.1	675^th of 1238 public elementary schools	45.5%		36	758^th of 1248 public elementary schools	39.3%	83	34.3	31.8	33.3	41.4	36.4	33.3	35.1	$22,432	$1,679	$20,753
Cary Reynolds Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1663 East Nancy Creek Drive	Atlanta	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-6802	267	27	9.8	86.9%	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	239 (89.5%)	11 (4.1%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	15.2	1086^th of 1238 public elementary schools	12.3%		20.6	1002^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	19.7%	84	12.3	28.9	18.4	22.8	23.7	16.3	18.4	$24,894	$1,904	$22,990
Vanderlyn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1877 Vanderlyn Dr	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 874-9002	441	31	14.2	9.5%	223 (50.6%)	34 (7.7%)	45 (10.2%)	110 (24.9%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.4%)	94.8	72^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	94.2%		97.4	33^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	97.4%	39	66.7	77.3	67.3	73.2	75.0	78.8	67.3	$19,382	$1,584	$17,798
Montgomery Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3995 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE	Brookhaven	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 676-7502	728	46	15.8	14.7%	398 (54.7%)	105 (14.4%)	78 (10.7%)	72 (9.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (10.2%)	94.2	80^th of 1238 public elementary schools	93.5%		94.6	72^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	94.2%	8	71.2	63.5	71.4	72.0	75.7	70.3	69.2	$17,273	$2,055	$15,218

Frequently Asked Questions about Hightower Elementary School

What district is Hightower Elementary School in?

DeKalb County

What is the racial makeup of Hightower Elementary School?

Students at Hightower Elementary School are 92% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Hightower Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 604 students attended Hightower Elementary School.

Is Hightower Elementary School a good school?

Hightower Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.7% of Georgia elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Hightower Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hightower Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Peachtree Middle School
High : Dunwoody High School

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Schools in Doraville, GA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.