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Varnell Elementary School

Q: Is Varnell Elementary School a good school?

Varnell Elementary School ranks 587 th of 1238 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

587^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,238 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Varnell Elementary School is a public elementary school in Dalton, Georgia, serving 389 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Whitfield County School District, which is ranked 92 out of 206 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Varnell Elementary consistently outperforms the Whitfield County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessment for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Varnell's 3rd-grade proficiency rates were 51% in both ELA and Math, compared to 33.5% and 42.9% for Whitfield County, and 34.9% and 44.3% for the state. The school also has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 65.51% to 73.26% over the past few years, which is higher than nearby Tunnel Hill Elementary (67%) and Cohutta Elementary (69.05%), but lower than Dawnville Elementary (84.47%) and Park Creek Elementary (88.16%).

Varnell Elementary's test scores generally outperform the other Whitfield County schools in the area, with the exception of Tunnel Hill Elementary, which has higher proficiency rates in several grade levels and subject areas. The school has maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years, indicating a relatively stable and consistent level of academic performance, in contrast to some nearby schools that have seen more fluctuation in their rankings and ratings.

350

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,237

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3900 Cleveland Rd
Dalton, GA 30721

(706) 694-3471

District: Whitfield County

Students who attend Varnell Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	North Whitfield Middle School
High:	Coahulla Creek High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.4%

Hispanic:

32.6%

African American:

2.9%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Varnell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Georgia median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

!Science scores 19 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg39%

Georgia avg42%

587^th of 1,238

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Whitfield County

92^nd of 206Whitfield 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	48.5	587 of 1238	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	555 of 1248	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	512 of 1242	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	541 of 1244	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.8	502 of 1214	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.6	299 of 1234	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	49.4	566 of 1209	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.6	501 of 1205	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.5	559 of 1233	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.4	525 of 1240	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.1	482 of 1231	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.7	380 of 1225	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.4	457 of 1201	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.3	630 of 1212	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.9	538 of 1183	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	58.5	514 of 1133	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.1	498 of 1134	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.1	389 of 1125	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.5	679 of 1101	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics43%~ state avg

English Language Arts41%~ state avg

Science25%-19 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, May 21, 2015

Great leadership. Well qualified teachers who work toward bringing out the best in their students in every area. The atmosphere is always inviting and the school feels homey and safe. Close Quote

Schools Near Varnell 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
Varnell Elementary School	Public	K-5	3900 Cleveland Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 694-3471	350	26	13.2	99.1%	208 (59.4%)	10 (2.9%)	114 (32.6%)	8 (2.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	48.5	587^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.6%		51	555^th of 1248 public elementary schools	55.5%	32	51.0	36.2	38.7	51.0	50.0	32.0	25.3	$14,237	$724	$13,513
New Hope Elementary School	Public	K-5	1175 New Hope Rd NW	Dalton	30720	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 673-3180	511	37	13.8	90.4%	285 (55.8%)	18 (3.5%)	174 (34.1%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.1%)	54.3	509^th of 1238 public elementary schools	58.9%		72.2	316^th of 1248 public elementary schools	74.7%	193	46.3	35.9	46.5	38.9	46.7	47.7	32.6	$13,992	$698	$13,293
Cohutta Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	254 Wolfe St	Cohutta	30710	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 694-8812	287	23	12.5	88.9%	223 (77.7%)	3 (1.0%)	45 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	75.2	273^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	77.9%		68.8	361^st of 1248 public elementary schools	71.1%	88	52.2	45.0	51.1	67.4	80.0	44.4	45.5	$16,267	$747	$15,520
Beaverdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 Prater Mill Rd NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 275-4414	488	42	11.7	100.0%	353 (72.3%)	7 (1.4%)	102 (20.9%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.1%)	47	608^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.9%		47.5	596^th of 1248 public elementary schools	52.2%	12	33.3	39.5	29.5	50.0	48.7	36.1	29.5	$16,773	$1,046	$15,727
Pleasant Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2725 Cleveland Hwy	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 259-3920	451	36	12.3	100.0%	146 (32.4%)	14 (3.1%)	276 (61.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.9%)	67.2	362^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	70.8%		62	435^th of 1248 public elementary schools	65.1%	73	39.0	52.4	34.7	63.0	76.2	40.8	47.9	$14,247	$839	$13,409
Dawnville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1380 Dawnville Rd NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 259-3914	413	36	11.5	100.0%	150 (36.3%)	18 (4.4%)	222 (53.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.8%)	20.3	992^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	19.9%		26.8	895^th of 1248 public elementary schools	28.3%	97	12.5	33.9	25.0	14.1	33.9	23.2	21.4	$14,873	$585	$14,288
Tunnel Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	203 E School St	Tunnel Hill	30755	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 673-4550	297	22	13.6	82.2%	222 (74.7%)	9 (3.0%)	60 (20.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	73.9	283^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	77.1%		75.2	283^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	77.3%		30.6	57.8	56.6	55.1	68.9	49.1	57.7	$14,915	$509	$14,406
Park Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Hale Bowen Dr	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 428-7700	604	52	11.5	78.8%	44 (7.3%)	19 (3.1%)	523 (86.6%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	41.7	663^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	46.4%		48.6	577^th of 1248 public elementary schools	53.8%	86	26.8	41.9	33.3	30.5	58.1	33.3	29.2	$16,988	$990	$15,997
Tiger Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	134 Rhea McClanahan Dr	Tunnel Hill	30755	Catoosa County	Catoosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 935-9890	400	33	12.2	92.8%	336 (84.0%)	9 (2.3%)	35 (8.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.8%)	57.7	470^th of 1238 public elementary schools	62.0%		41.3	673^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	46.1%	203	39.7	42.4	46.5	34.9	42.4	50.7	47.9	$15,855	$672	$15,182
Westwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	708 Trammell St	Dalton	30720	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 278-2809	605	47	12.8	66.1%	210 (34.7%)	49 (8.1%)	306 (50.6%)	18 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	18 (3.0%)	71	319^th of 1238 public elementary schools	74.2%		71.5	324^th of 1248 public elementary schools	74.0%	5	37.2	53.7	61.6	33.0	64.6	73.3	50.0	$15,416	$575	$14,841

Frequently Asked Questions about Varnell Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Varnell Elementary School?

Students at Varnell Elementary School are 59% White, 33% Hispanic, 3% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Is Varnell Elementary School a good school?

Varnell Elementary School ranks 587^th of 1238 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Varnell Elementary School in?

Whitfield County

How many students attend Varnell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Varnell Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Varnell Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : North Whitfield Middle School
High : Coahulla Creek High School

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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.