Summary:
Appling County High School is the sole high school in the Appling County district, serving grades 9-12 in the rural Baxley, Georgia area with an enrollment of about 1,013 students.
This school stands out for its exceptional graduation rate of 99.2%, which is a full 12 percentage points above the state average of 87.2%—a remarkable achievement given that nearly 99% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has also improved its state ranking significantly, climbing from the 37th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 54th percentile in 2024-2025, before settling at the 51st percentile in the most recent year. This upward trajectory earned the school a 3-star rating, up from 2 stars. Academically, the school shows a clear strength in mathematics: students outperform the state in Algebra I (50.4% proficient vs. 48.1% statewide). However, proficiency rates trail the state in Biology (36.6% vs. 47.2%) and US History (34.1% vs. 38.5%). The school also saw notable year-over-year swings, including a strong 6.8-point improvement in US History and a 6.3-point drop in Algebra I.
One area of concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 25.3%—well above the state average of 17.7%. This is particularly interesting given the school's near-perfect graduation rate, suggesting that while students may miss significant instructional time, they still manage to complete graduation requirements, possibly through credit recovery programs. With a student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1 and per-student spending of $13,236, the school maintains reasonable class sizes and resource levels. For parents, this school offers a supportive environment that clearly prioritizes getting students to graduation, though families should be aware of the academic gaps in science and social studies and the elevated absenteeism rate when considering the school's overall performance.
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