Summary:
The city of Cartersville, Georgia, is served by 10 schools across two districts—Cartersville City and Bartow County—covering elementary through high school grades (PK-12) for roughly 9,570 students in a predominantly low-to-moderate income community.
For parents, the standout story is in advanced math. Cartersville Middle School posts a remarkable 93.1% proficiency rate in 8th-grade Algebra I, while Cass Middle School achieves a perfect 100%—both far exceeding the state average of 48.1%. However, both schools struggle with 8th-grade science (17% and 25.5% vs. 29.7% statewide), suggesting a sharp focus on math at the expense of general science. At the high school level, Woodland High School is the clear leader, with a 95.1% graduation rate (state: 87.2%), strong U.S. History scores (46.8% vs. 38.5%), and a dramatic jump from the 54th to 69th percentile in one year. Cartersville High School also exceeds the state graduation rate at 92.2% but trails in Algebra I (28.8%) and U.S. History (28.3%).
Among elementary schools, Hamilton Crossing Elementary School leads the way, climbing from the 51st to 79th percentile and posting 5th-grade science proficiency of 64.7%—over 20 points above the state—while Cartersville Elementary School excels in 4th-grade math (56.8%) and has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.5% (state: 17.7%). At the other end, Cloverleaf Elementary and Clear Creek Elementary lag in science (27.2% and 33.0%) despite being the highest spenders per student ($16,585 and $16,761), showing that money doesn't guarantee results. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at Woodland High School (22.3%), while all Cartersville City schools stay below 14%. Overall, Cartersville City schools generally outperform Bartow County schools in the city, though Woodland High and Cass Middle are notable exceptions proving that strong results are achievable despite socioeconomic challenges.
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