Summary:
Echols County Elementary/Middle School is the only elementary school in the rural Echols County district, serving 673 students in grades PK-8 in Statenville, Georgia, where 88% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
This combined school shows a striking pattern: its upper-grade programs are exceptional, while early-grade math lags. The standout result is 8th-grade mathematics, where 66.1% of students are proficient—nearly 20 points above the state average of 46.3%. Science is another clear strength, with 5th-grade proficiency at 66.7% (22.5 points above state) and 8th-grade at 45.8% (16.1 points above). However, 3rd and 4th-grade math proficiency sits at just 22% and 25.8%, respectively, roughly 25 points below state averages. The school’s year-over-year trends show meaningful gains in 6th-grade math (+9.6 points) and 7th-grade math (+8.3 points), though 5th-grade math dropped 8.7 points and 8th-grade social studies fell 9.5 points. Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at 9.2%—nearly half the state’s 17.7%—which is especially notable given the high poverty rate.
For parents, this school offers a clear trade-off. If your child is in middle school, particularly 8th grade, they are likely to receive math and science instruction that far exceeds state norms. The school’s ranking improved 56 spots this year to 681st out of 1,219 Georgia schools (44th percentile, 2 stars), and the district itself holds a 4-star rating. The biggest concern is early elementary math, where students start well behind but appear to catch up dramatically by 8th grade—suggesting the school’s intervention and upper-grade programming are effective, but early support could accelerate progress. With strong attendance and a cohesive PK-8 structure, this school provides stability and a clear academic trajectory, though parents of younger students may want to supplement math instruction at home.
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