Elementary Schools in Crawford County

Crawford County is home to two elementary schools—Crawford County Primary School (serving grades PK-2) and Crawford County Elementary (serving grades 3-5)—together enrolling 658 students in a high-poverty rural district where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

The two schools show a striking contrast in attendance. Crawford County Primary School has a chronic absenteeism rate of 25.2%, well above the state average of 17.7%, while Crawford County Elementary posts a much healthier 14.2%—actually beating the state average. This suggests attendance challenges are concentrated in the earliest grades and may improve as children mature. Academically, Crawford County Elementary shows encouraging progress in lower-grade math: 3rd grade proficiency jumped from 23.9% to 33.3% and 4th grade from 17.6% to 23.4% year-over-year. However, 5th grade math slipped to just 10.9% proficiency, and the gap with the state widens dramatically by grade—from 15 points behind in 3rd grade to 33 points behind in 5th grade. Science is a clear bright spot, with 5th grade proficiency at 32.8%, the school’s strongest subject and its biggest year-over-year gain (+11.9 points).

Both schools spend generously—$16,658 per student at the primary school and $15,273 at the elementary school—yet the district ranks in the bottom 20% of Georgia. Still, Crawford County Elementary has improved its state ranking from the 13th to the 17th percentile over two years, a sign of incremental progress despite significant socioeconomic barriers. For parents, the key takeaway is that the elementary school offers relative strengths in science and early-grade math, while the primary school’s high absenteeism rate represents a critical early intervention opportunity—improving attendance in PK-2 could pay off academically as students move into the upper grades.