Summary:
Cartersville City School District serves approximately 4,686 students across four schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—in a moderate-to-high poverty area northwest of Atlanta. The district holds a 3-star rating and generally outperforms the state in mathematics and attendance, but faces notable challenges in science and high school End of Course assessments.
The standout is Cartersville Middle School, where Algebra I proficiency reaches an extraordinary 93.1%—nearly double the state average—and 8th-grade physical science also exceeds state rates. This school achieves these results with the district's lowest per-student spending ($12,820), suggesting effective instructional strategies. By contrast, Cartersville High School posts a solid 92.2% graduation rate and low dropout rate, but its Algebra I proficiency is just 28.8% (19.3 points below state), and U.S. History sits at 28.3%. This creates a striking paradox: middle schoolers excel in advanced math, while high school students in the same subject struggle persistently. Cartersville Elementary School leads the district in attendance with a 6.5% chronic absenteeism rate—less than half the state average—though its academic performance is mixed. Cartersville Primary School serves grades PK-3 and maintains below-state absenteeism at 13.8%.
District-wide, math proficiency exceeds state averages in every grade from 3rd through 8th, but science is a clear weakness: 5th-grade science is 10.3 points below state, and 8th-grade science is just 17% versus 29.7% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is a district strength, with all four schools below the 17.7% state rate. Year-over-year, 5th-grade math improved significantly (43.8% to 50.4%), while 4th-grade math declined (61.9% to 56.8%). The middle school's advanced science pathway (72.2% proficiency) contrasts sharply with grade-level science struggles, suggesting the district excels with high-achieving students but needs stronger support for the general population, particularly in high school math and science.
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