Summary:
Dawson, Georgia is served by four schools—one elementary, one middle, and two high schools—enrolling roughly 935 students across the Terrell County district and the Department of Juvenile Justice, with the district ranking in the 2nd percentile statewide.
For parents, the standout traditional school is Cooper-Carver Elementary School, which holds a one-star rating and outperforms the district's other schools. Its 3rd grade math proficiency (27.7%) and 5th grade ELA proficiency (41.4%, nearly matching the state's 43%) show pockets of relative strength, though all scores remain below state averages. In contrast, Terrell Middle School shows critically low performance, with math proficiency between 7.6% and 8.8% across grades 6-8, and 8th grade science at just 4.4% (state: 29.7%). Terrell High School mirrors this struggle, with End of Course proficiency rates of 11.2% in Algebra I, 10.6% in Biology, and 10% in U.S. History—all far below state averages. The Terrell Regional Youth Detention Center is a unique facility serving just 14 students with a 2.3:1 student-teacher ratio, though no academic data is available.
One striking paradox is Terrell High School's 92.3% graduation rate, which exceeds the state average of 87.2% despite the low proficiency scores—suggesting a possible disconnect between graduation requirements and academic readiness. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at the middle (21.8%) and high school (23.2%) levels, both above the state's 17.7%, while the elementary school is below at 14.4%. The district spends $18,297 to $22,045 per student with favorable student-teacher ratios (11.6:1 to 15.2:1), yet outcomes remain among the lowest in Georgia. The data reveals a troubling trajectory where elementary students show modest proficiency, but performance collapses in middle school and never recovers, pointing to a systemic need for comprehensive district-wide intervention rather than isolated fixes.
Thank you for your feedback!