Summary:
Locust Grove, Georgia is served by two middle schools—Locust Grove Middle and Luella Middle School—which together educate roughly 1,859 students in grades 6-8 within the Henry County school district.
The two schools present a stark contrast in academic performance. Locust Grove Middle is the clear leader, particularly in advanced coursework. Its Algebra I End-of-Course proficiency rate of 90.7% is more than triple that of Luella Middle School (28.1%) and far exceeds the district (35.1%) and state (48.1%) averages. Locust Grove also excels in HS Physical Science (69.3% proficiency) and has shown consistent year-over-year improvement across nearly all subjects. In contrast, Luella Middle School has seen its state ranking decline steadily over three years, dropping to the 11th percentile, and its Algebra I proficiency fell sharply by 19.1 points. However, both schools struggle with grade-level subjects—for example, 8th grade science proficiency is just 10.1% at Locust Grove and 15.3% at Luella, both well below the state average of 29.7%.
Operationally, Locust Grove Middle benefits from a lower student-teacher ratio (17.4:1) and higher per-student spending ($12,139) compared to Luella Middle School (21.9:1 and $11,293). Both schools serve similar socioeconomic populations, with about 67% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, and both face chronic absenteeism rates near or above the state average. For parents, the choice is significant: Locust Grove offers a strong advanced-track program with upward momentum, while Luella shows mixed progress and concerning declines in key areas, suggesting families should carefully consider their child's academic needs and the schools' differing resource levels.
Thank you for your feedback!