Summary:
Colquitt County is home to one middle school, Willie J. Williams Middle School in Moultrie, which serves grades 6–7 and enrolls a very large student body of 1,285 students in a rural South Georgia community.
Willie J. Williams Middle School is a high-poverty school—100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—yet it is showing strong upward momentum. The school’s state ranking has climbed from the 38th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 56th percentile in 2024–2025, a jump of more than 100 places that moved it from below-average to above-average performance. In the most recent math scores (2025–2026), 6th graders posted a 42.9% proficiency rate, beating the state average of 40.7%, while 7th graders came in slightly below state at 40.5% versus 42.0%. Both grades improved from the prior year, with 6th-grade math gaining nearly 7 percentage points. English Language Arts results from 2024–2025 show 6th graders near the state average (40.4% vs. 41.3%), but 7th graders lag by 7.5 points (34.2% vs. 40.7%).
Attendance and resources are notable positives. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate of 16.7% is below the state average of 17.7%, and its student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1 allows for more individualized attention. Per-student spending is substantial at $13,987, reflecting the high level of need. A consistent pattern emerges where 6th graders outperform 7th graders in both subjects, which may point to a transition challenge between grade levels. Overall, Willie J. Williams Middle School is a large, well-resourced school making meaningful academic gains, particularly in math, despite serving an economically disadvantaged population. The improving trajectory and below-average absenteeism suggest a positive direction, though 7th-grade ELA remains the clearest area for growth.
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