Summary:
FitzGerald, Georgia, is served by a single public high school, Fitzgerald High School School College and Career Academy, which enrolls roughly 870 students in grades 9 through 12 within the Ben Hill County district.
The most encouraging news for parents is the school’s graduation rate of 90.8%, which outpaces both the district (85.7%) and the state (87.2%). However, this strength contrasts sharply with academic performance on state Milestones assessments, where proficiency rates lag far behind Georgia averages. For instance, in the 2025-2026 school year, only 23.6% of students were proficient in Algebra I (state: 48.1%), 29.9% in Biology (state: 47.2%), and just 12.8% in U.S. History (state: 38.5%). These gaps are substantial, ranging from roughly 17 to 26 percentage points below state norms. The school’s state ranking has also slipped from the 34th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 18th percentile in 2025-2026, reflecting a two-year decline of 71 positions.
Test scores also show notable year-to-year volatility. Algebra I proficiency fell from 38.2% to 23.6% between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, while Biology proficiency jumped from 14.6% to 29.9% over the same period. This instability suggests changing student cohorts or instructional factors that may warrant a closer look. Chronic absenteeism (17.8%) is essentially on par with the state average (17.7%), so attendance is not a unique concern. With a student-teacher ratio of 15.8:1 and per-student spending of $13,320, resources appear adequate, yet they are not translating into competitive test outcomes. The disconnect between a high graduation rate and low assessment proficiency is a key question for school leadership to address, as is the school’s declining percentile rank despite stable enrollment.
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