Schools in Fitzgerald, GA

The city of Fitzgerald, Georgia, is served by the Ben Hill County School District, which operates four public schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—for approximately 2,831 students in a community where all reporting schools have 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility.

For parents comparing schools, Ben Hill County Middle School stands out as the district's strongest performer. It is the only campus exceeding the state average in any subject, with 8th-grade science proficiency at 33.2% versus the state's 29.7%, and it has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 15.0%. The middle school also shows consistent year-over-year improvement in its state ranking. In contrast, Ben Hill Elementary School has dropped sharply from the 51st to the 32nd percentile in state rankings over two years, with 5th-grade science proficiency (20.6%) trailing the state by 23.6 points. Ben Hill County Primary School has the highest chronic absenteeism at 22.3%, which may signal early engagement challenges. Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy posts a strong 90.8% graduation rate—above both district and state averages—despite ranking in the bottom 20% of Georgia high schools and showing proficiency rates well below state averages on every End-of-Course exam.

Key takeaways for families include a notable math pattern: proficiency declines through elementary grades (42.2% in 3rd to 33% in 5th) but improves through middle school (27% in 6th to 36.6% in 8th), though all levels remain below state averages. The district's science performance is volatile, with a dramatic turnaround from a 23.6-point deficit in 5th grade to an advantage by 8th grade. High school test scores also swing widely year to year, such as Algebra I dropping from 38.2% to 23.6% proficiency. Per-student spending ranges from $13,320 at the high school to $15,605 at the primary school, with student-teacher ratios from 12.5:1 to 17:1. Despite universal economic need, outcomes vary substantially, suggesting that poverty does not predetermine results.