Summary:
The city of Ocilla, Georgia, is served by the Irwin County School District, which includes three schools covering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in a community where economic need is significant, with 100% of elementary students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Irwin County High School stands out as the district's strongest performer, with a 94.1% graduation rate that far exceeds the state average of 87.2%. The high school also beats state averages in Algebra I (59.2% proficient vs. 48.1% statewide) and U.S. History (45.8% vs. 38.5%), though Biology proficiency lags at 38.4% compared to the state's 47.2%. Irwin County Middle School shows a notable bright spot in 8th grade, where students achieve 54.5% proficiency in math and 41% in science—both well above state averages—and the school has climbed from the 52nd to 62nd percentile in state rankings over two years. Irwin County Elementary School presents a more mixed picture, with 3rd-grade math near the state average (45.9% vs. 48.3%) but a concerning drop in 5th-grade math to just 27.6% proficiency, a 15-point decline from 3rd grade that suggests a curriculum transition challenge.
Chronic absenteeism exceeds the state average of 17.7% across all three schools, with the high school highest at 22.3%, followed by the elementary school at 20.4% and the middle school at 18.6%. The district invests heavily per student—ranging from $13,639 at the elementary level to $15,349 at the high school—and maintains favorable student-teacher ratios, particularly at the middle school (12:1). Despite test scores that often trail state averages in earlier grades, the district's strong graduation outcomes suggest effective support systems that help students persist to completion. The middle school also showed meaningful year-over-year gains in 6th and 8th-grade math, while the high school experienced volatility in U.S. History scores, dropping 13.2 points between school years even while remaining above state averages.
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