Summary:
Willacoochee Elementary School is the only public school in Willacoochee, Georgia, serving grades PK-5 within the Atkinson County school district, with 167 students and nearly 90% qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
This small school shows a mixed academic picture. In math, 3rd and 4th graders are strong performers, with proficiency rates of 57.2% and 63.1%—both well above state averages of 48.3% and 50.1%. However, 5th grade math drops sharply to 27.8%, far below the state's 44.1%. Science is a critical weakness: only 11.1% of 5th graders are proficient versus 44.2% statewide. The most recent English Language Arts data (2024-2025) shows a similar pattern—3rd graders exceed state averages at 45%, but 4th grade collapses to just 5.3% proficiency, with 5th grade at 16%. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at 23.4%, nearly 10 points above the state average of 17.7%. The school spends a substantial $19,028 per student and maintains a favorable 10.8:1 student-teacher ratio, yet overall performance sits at the 51st percentile statewide.
The school's ranking has been volatile, swinging from the 71st percentile in 2023-2024 to the 40th in 2024-2025, then recovering to the 51st in 2025-2026. With such a small enrollment, year-to-year swings can be misleading. The clear bright spot is early elementary math, where instruction appears highly effective. The pressing needs are upper-elementary math, science, and ELA, along with attendance improvement. Given the high poverty rate, these challenges are not unexpected, but the school's strong early math results suggest that targeted interventions in later grades could yield meaningful gains.
Thank you for your feedback!