Best Public Schools in Cumming, GA

The city of Cumming, Georgia, is served by 31 schools within the highly-ranked Forsyth County School District, which includes 17 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, and 5 high schools, enrolling roughly 36,000 students across a generally affluent area.

This is one of Georgia’s top-performing districts, and several schools stand out as exceptional. Daves Creek Elementary School is the district’s star, ranking #5 in the state with 3rd-grade math proficiency at 94.1%, far above the state’s 48.3%. At the high school level, Alliance Academy for Innovation ranks #3 in Georgia with a perfect 100% graduation rate and 93.6% proficiency in American Literature. Among middle schools, South Forsyth Middle School leads with 99.4% Algebra I proficiency. However, performance varies widely. Cumming Elementary School has the highest poverty rate (59.78% free/reduced lunch) and only 45.5% 3rd-grade math proficiency, while Little Mill Middle School ranks lowest among middle schools, with 41.4% 8th-grade math proficiency and a 16.6% chronic absenteeism rate—double the district average.

Notably, higher spending does not guarantee better results. Big Creek Elementary School spends the most per student ($18,909) but ranks #30, while Hendricks Middle School spends the least ($10,925) yet ranks #81. All nine middle schools offer Algebra I with proficiency from 83% to 100%, far exceeding the state average of 48.1%. Chronic absenteeism also varies dramatically, from 3.6% at Daves Creek to 17.0% at North Forsyth Middle School. Forsyth Central High School is a concern, with Algebra I proficiency at just 29.4% and a declining state ranking. Elementary schools are the district’s strongest asset, with 12 of 17 ranking in the top 25% statewide, though some middle schools show puzzlingly low 8th-grade science scores, such as Hendricks at 4% proficiency.