Summary:
The city of Thomaston, Georgia, is served by four public schools within the Thomaston-Upson County district, which together educate roughly 4,000 students across grades PK-12 in a community where both elementary schools report 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility.
Across the district, Upson-Lee Middle School stands out for its exceptional advanced coursework, with a 97.2% proficiency rate in Algebra I—more than double the district average and nearly 50 points above the state—and an 85.4% rate in HS Physical Science. However, the same school struggles with standard grade-level subjects, particularly 8th-grade science at just 16.4% proficiency, roughly half the state average. Upson-Lee Elementary School is the district's most consistent performer, earning a 3-star rating and seeing its 5th-grade math proficiency (47.6%) exceed the state average (44.1%) despite serving a 100% poverty population. Upson-Lee High School posted the most dramatic turnaround, jumping from the 24th to 44th percentile in state rankings, with Biology proficiency surging 16.3 points and Algebra I rising 11.4 points. Upson-Lee Primary School receives the highest per-student funding at $16,267, likely reflecting early childhood needs.
Every school in the district improved its state ranking year-over-year, signaling systemic gains. The high school's graduation rate of 92.5% far exceeds the state average of 87.2%, and its dropout rate of 1.8% is below the state's 2.4%. Yet chronic absenteeism emerges as a critical concern, climbing sharply with grade level: 13.1% at the elementary school, 16.3% at the primary school, 19.7% at the middle school, and a troubling 26.5% at the high school—well above the state's 17.7%. While the district still trails state averages in most standard subjects, the consistent upward trajectory, strong advanced placement results, and above-average graduation rates suggest a system making meaningful progress despite significant socioeconomic challenges.
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