Clarke County

Summary:

The Clarke County school district in Georgia consists of 21 schools, including 14 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 3 high schools. The district as a whole is ranked 150 out of 206 districts in Georgia and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

A few schools in the district stand out as performing better than the district and state averages. Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state, with 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger and significantly higher proficiency rates than the district and state in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Timothy Elementary School is another high-performing elementary school, ranking in the top 25% of Georgia elementary schools with very strong test scores. At the middle school level, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and Clarke Middle School outperform the district and state on most metrics.

However, the data also reveals significant disparities in academic achievement between the highest and lowest performing schools in the district. Many schools have very high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. Interestingly, the data shows that higher per-student spending does not necessarily translate to better academic performance, suggesting that other factors, such as teaching quality, curriculum, and school leadership, likely play a bigger role. Overall, the Clarke County school district faces challenges, but the success of certain schools demonstrates that high achievement is possible with the right strategies and support.

District Detail

595 Prince Ave
Athens, GA 30601

(706) 546-7721

SchoolDigger Rank:
150^th of 206 Georgia districts

See the 2025 Georgia District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 12,275

Primary Schools: 14
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 3
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition (2025)	Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2025)	Milestones Assessment Biology (2025)	Milestones Assessment United States History (2025)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)						Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)						Milestones Assessment Science (2025)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition End of Course	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clarke Middle School	Public	6-8	1235 Baxter St	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 543-6547	718	63	11.3	83.8%	249 (34.7%)	324 (45.1%)	94 (13.1%)	13 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (5.0%)	49.7	268^th of 584 public middle schools	54.1%		55	243^rd of 588 public middle schools	58.7%	25		83.0						40.3	33.6	40.5				31.2	30.2	44.4		40.2	$19,260	$1,205	$18,055
Timothy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1900 Timothy Rd	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 549-0107	565	53	10.5	68.3%	217 (38.4%)	210 (37.2%)	82 (14.5%)	17 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.7%)	70.5	324^th of 1238 public elementary schools	73.8%		71.5	326^th of 1248 public elementary schools	73.9%	2					36.8	46.8	53.3				54.7	59.7	60.0				48.3		$22,136	$1,131	$21,005
Winterville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 Cherokee Rd	Winterville	30683	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5222	343	37	9.2	93.6%	66 (19.2%)	139 (40.5%)	122 (35.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.8%)	23.4	955^th of 1238 public elementary schools	22.9%		32.1	807^th of 1248 public elementary schools	35.3%	148					23.4	21.3	23.2				31.9	21.3	23.2				33.9		$24,243	$1,255	$22,988
Barnett Shoals Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3220 Barnett Shoals Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5334	490	50	9.7	100.0%	131 (26.7%)	248 (50.6%)	54 (11.0%)	10 (2.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.8%)	48.1	590^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.3%		44.6	631^st of 1248 public elementary schools	49.4%	41					31.0	39.1	33.3				43.7	49.3	37.0				38.9		$22,785	$1,382	$21,403
Whitehead Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	555 Quailwood Dr	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-7296	632	66	9.5	99.1%	118 (18.7%)	209 (33.1%)	266 (42.1%)	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.6%)	41.7	662^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	46.5%		35.3	767^th of 1248 public elementary schools	38.5%	105					26.7	32.2	27.6				42.9	50.0	40.0				34.3		$22,563	$1,315	$21,248
Clarke Central High School	Public	9-12	350 S Milledge Ave	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5200	1,907	120	15.8	82.5%	502 (26.3%)	748 (39.2%)	523 (27.4%)	34 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	94 (4.9%)	44.3	205^th of 452 public high schools	54.6%		50	187^th of 458 public high schools	59.2%	18	39.7	24.4	46.0	26.9															$17,068	$1,332	$15,736
Hilsman Middle School	Public	6-8	870 Gaines School Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-7281	624	57	11.0	100.0%	116 (18.6%)	354 (56.7%)	112 (17.9%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.6%)	22.5	451^st of 584 public middle schools	22.8%		24.8	443^rd of 588 public middle schools	24.7%	8		84.0						25.1	18.6	28.8				9.7	17.9	28.8		24.8	$20,802	$1,543	$19,259
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	757 N Chase St	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 543-1081	492	44	11.1	74.4%	214 (43.5%)	189 (38.4%)	56 (11.4%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.5%)	77	257^th of 1238 public elementary schools	79.2%		76.5	273^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	78.1%	16					57.4	53.9	59.1				60.3	53.9	45.5				53.8		$21,739	$1,207	$20,533
Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Alps Rd	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-2261	322	38	8.4	100.0%	12 (3.7%)	243 (75.5%)	36 (11.2%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.1%)	10.2	1180^th of 1238 public elementary schools	4.7%		6.6	1233^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	1.2%	53					9.3	12.8	2.6				32.6	20.5	5.1				5.1		$26,519	$1,784	$24,735
Cedar Shoals High School	Public	9-12	1300 Cedar Shoals Dr	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 546-5375	1,489	110	13.5	100.0%	190 (12.8%)	706 (47.4%)	515 (34.6%)	20 (1.3%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (3.8%)	19.7	359^th of 452 public high schools	20.6%		19.1	369^th of 458 public high schools	19.4%	10	22.0	15.4	24.2	23.4															$19,146	$1,731	$17,416
Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Oglethorpe Ave	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 549-0762	563	56	10.1	100.0%	114 (20.2%)	182 (32.3%)	222 (39.4%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.4%)	24.2	937^th of 1238 public elementary schools	24.3%		30.3	849^th of 1248 public elementary schools	32.0%	88					15.6	24.3	29.1				27.8	37.1	31.4				20.9		$22,691	$1,439	$21,252
Gaines Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Gaines School Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5333	568	50	11.3	100.0%	36 (6.3%)	386 (68.0%)	110 (19.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	6.9	1213^th of 1238 public elementary schools	2.0%		9	1205^th of 1248 public elementary schools	3.4%	8					8.0	11.7	3.5				13.3	23.4	9.3				7.0		$22,170	$1,726	$20,444
Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School	Public	6-8	1600 Tallassee Rd	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-7208	707	62	11.4	100.0%	110 (15.6%)	275 (38.9%)	289 (40.9%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.1%)	47.7	281^st of 584 public middle schools	51.9%		39.3	345^th of 588 public middle schools	41.3%	64		94.4						27.5	32.3	31.6				33.8	43.6	43.1		43.5	$19,221	$1,393	$17,828
Fowler Drive Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Fowler Dr	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5330	366	43	8.5	100.0%	28 (7.7%)	143 (39.1%)	176 (48.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	24.1	940^th of 1238 public elementary schools	24.1%		23.4	955^th of 1248 public elementary schools	23.5%	15					20.4	17.9	21.2				49.0	34.3	25.0				7.7		$25,789	$1,782	$24,007
Barrow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Pinecrest Dr	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 543-2676	456	42	10.8	77.4%	177 (38.8%)	180 (39.5%)	38 (8.3%)	36 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.5%)	57.2	475^th of 1238 public elementary schools	61.6%		61.8	437^th of 1248 public elementary schools	65.0%	38					45.6	39.7	43.3				42.1	53.4	39.4				42.4		$22,187	$1,221	$20,966
Coile Middle School	Public	6-8	110 Old Elberton Rd	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5318	582	55	10.5	100.0%	30 (5.2%)	232 (39.9%)	302 (51.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.7%)	15.1	515^th of 584 public middle schools	11.8%		12.5	541^st of 588 public middle schools	8.0%	26		60.5						18.8	16.8	19.1				14.1	10.7	23.4		16.6	$20,057	$1,978	$18,079
Cleveland Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1700 Cleveland Rd	Bogart	30622	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5333	256	32	8.0	100.0%	41 (16.0%)	111 (43.4%)	69 (27.0%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	28 (10.9%)	29.9	834^th of 1238 public elementary schools	32.6%		45.4	622^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	50.2%	212					13.9	30.8	32.0				16.7	38.5	32.0				36.0		$30,137	$1,676	$28,461
Howard B. Stroud Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	715 Fourth St	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 369-1893	350	42	8.3	100.0%	13 (3.7%)	257 (73.4%)	63 (18.0%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.1%)	6.4	1223^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	1.2%		8.1	1220^th of 1248 public elementary schools	2.2%	3					8.9	10.4	6.4				15.6	12.5	10.6				8.5		$29,249	$1,662	$27,587
Whit Davis Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1450 Whit Davis Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 369-1036	395	37	10.6	96.7%	84 (21.3%)	180 (45.6%)	89 (22.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.4%)	31.8	810^th of 1238 public elementary schools	34.6%		26	914^th of 1248 public elementary schools	26.8%	104					34.8	19.6	24.3				37.0	41.1	30.0				31.4		$21,663	$1,331	$20,332
Classic City High School	Public	9-12	440 Dearing Ext	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 353-2323	58	7	8.2	82.8%	0 (0.0%)	54 (93.1%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.2%)	4	448^th of 452 public high schools	0.9%		7.3	434^th of 458 public high schools	5.2%	14	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.8
Judia Jackson Harris Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2300 Danielsville Rd	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5203	392	41	9.6	100.0%	17 (4.3%)	81 (20.7%)	288 (73.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	28.9	859^th of 1238 public elementary schools	30.6%		32.7	801^st of 1248 public elementary schools	35.8%	58					27.1	20.0	28.6				49.2	22.9	30.4				23.2		$24,593	$1,818	$22,774

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Northeast Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency	1.33 mi	1
State Specialty Schools I- Foothills Regional High School	2.03 mi	1	141^st
Oconee County	5.35 mi	12	2^nd
Madison County	8.3 mi	7	51^st
Jackson County	9.43 mi	13	38^th

See the top GA Georgia districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.