Summary:
Pleasantdale Elementary School, Oakcliff Elementary School, Hightower Elementary School, Evansdale Elementary School, and Tapestry Public Charter School serve about 2,800 students in Doraville, Georgia, a city within the DeKalb County school district, which ranks in the bottom third of Georgia districts.
For families, Evansdale Elementary is the strongest traditional option, ranking in the 44th percentile statewide with the best math and science scores in the city—its 4th grade math proficiency (50.7%) tops the state average. Oakcliff Elementary is the most improved school, jumping 174 spots in rankings, and it achieves this while serving a 100% free/reduced lunch population. Oakcliff also posts the city’s best attendance rate (8.8% chronic absenteeism, far below the district’s 26.7%). Tapestry Public Charter School, the only secondary option, stands out with a perfect 100% graduation rate and strong middle school math, though its high school Algebra I scores lag. In contrast, Pleasantdale Elementary and Hightower Elementary rank in the bottom 15% of Georgia schools, with weak science scores and, in Pleasantdale’s case, a 25.9% chronic absenteeism rate that is 8 points worse than the state average.
A notable citywide trend is a “5th grade slump” in math—proficiency drops sharply from 4th to 5th grade at Evansdale (50.7% to 27.8%) and Hightower (33.3% to 17.7%), while Oakcliff uniquely improves (38.1% to 41.1%). Spending does not predict success: Oakcliff spends the least per student ($17,964) yet outperforms Pleasantdale, which spends more ($18,316). With no traditional middle school in Doraville, families should plan for transitions to schools outside the city after 5th grade, making Tapestry’s 6-12 model a valuable continuity option.
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