High Schools in Decatur County

Decatur County is served by two high schools—Bainbridge High School and New Beginning Learning Center—which together educate roughly 1,375 students in grades 6 through 12 in a district ranked in the bottom 14% of Georgia school systems.

These two schools could hardly be more different. Bainbridge High School is the county’s traditional comprehensive high school, serving about 1,192 students in grades 9-12. It posts a strong 96.6% graduation rate and a very low 0.8% dropout rate, both far better than state averages. However, its academic performance is slipping: proficiency rates on End of Course exams dropped sharply in one year—Algebra I fell from 45.7% to 27.3%, Biology from 43.4% to 36.3%, and US History from 51.0% to 34.5%. The school’s state ranking also tumbled from a 4-star rating to a 2-star rating. By contrast, New Beginning Learning Center, an alternative school for 183 students in grades 6-12, faces far more severe challenges: a 62.3% graduation rate, a 7.8% dropout rate, and 0% proficiency in most tested subjects. It ranks in the 1st percentile statewide.

Attendance and resources also tell a telling story. Chronic absenteeism affects 27.7% of students at Bainbridge and a staggering 68.6% at New Beginning, compared to 17.7% statewide. Both schools serve overwhelmingly low-income populations—98.74% of Bainbridge students and 100% at New Beginning qualify for free or reduced lunch. Yet New Beginning receives about $5,000 less per student ($9,418 vs. $14,403) and has a much higher student-teacher ratio (24:1 vs. 13.2:1), which seems misaligned with the greater needs of its students. While Bainbridge shows that high-poverty schools can achieve strong graduation outcomes, its recent academic decline and the extreme struggles at New Beginning highlight systemic challenges that families should weigh carefully when considering these schools.