Best Public Schools in Jonesboro, GA

Jonesboro, Georgia, is served by 22 schools within the Clayton County school district, including 11 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 6 high schools, all of which predominantly serve students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with nearly every school reporting 99-100% free/reduced lunch eligibility.

For parents, the standout school in Jonesboro is Elite Scholars Academy School, which ranks #7 in Georgia with a 100% graduation rate, just 3.6% chronic absenteeism, and test proficiency rates of 91-98% across subjects—roughly 50 percentage points above state averages. Martha Ellen Stilwell School for the Performing Arts also excels with a 100% graduation rate and strong End-of-Course scores, including 74.2% proficiency in American Literature. Mount Zion High School showed remarkable improvement, jumping 146 spots in state rankings with Algebra I proficiency rising from 27.6% to 42.1%. At the other end, Perry Career Academy - Eula Wilburn Ponds Perry Center for faces severe challenges with a 69.6% graduation rate, 50.1% chronic absenteeism, and test proficiency rates of just 1-4%.

Chronic absenteeism is the district's defining issue, averaging 28% versus 17.7% statewide. Schools with the lowest absenteeism—Kay R Pace Elementary School of the Arts at 3.0%, M. D. Roberts Middle School at 8.5%, and Arnold Elementary School at 9.1%—consistently outperform peers. Middle school Algebra acceleration is a bright spot, with M. D. Roberts Middle School at 74% proficient, Pointe South Middle School at 69.6%, and Mundys Mill Middle School at 65.4%. Elementary schools show wide disparity, from Kay R Pace Elementary School of the Arts in the 50th percentile to Lee Street Elementary School in the 6th percentile, where 3rd grade ELA proficiency is just 1.2%. Notably, higher spending does not predict success—Elite Scholars Academy School achieves top results with mid-range spending, while the highest-spending schools like Kendrick Middle School and Suder Elementary School rank in the bottom quartile of their peer groups.