Elementary Schools in Franklin County

Franklin County, Georgia is home to three elementary schools—Carnesville Elementary School, Lavonia Elementary School, and Royston Elementary School—all serving grades PK-5 within the Franklin County district, which ranks 94th out of 201 districts in Georgia.

For parents, the standout school here is Carnesville Elementary. It holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 65th percentile statewide, outperforming both the district and state averages in nearly every subject and grade level. In 3rd grade math, Carnesville’s proficiency rate is 57.6%—more than double Lavonia’s 27.8%—and it also leads in 4th grade math (58.3% vs. 47.3% for Lavonia) and 5th grade math (41.3% vs. 27.8% for Lavonia). Carnesville also has the most favorable student-teacher ratio (11.6:1) and the highest per-student spending ($15,132). Royston Elementary, meanwhile, has fallen sharply from a 4-star, 71st-percentile ranking two years ago to a 2-star, 47th-percentile ranking today, with its 5th grade science proficiency dropping 15.4 points year-over-year. Lavonia is the lowest-performing school, ranking in the 33rd percentile, despite having the best chronic absenteeism rate in the district (10.9%, well below the state average of 17.7%).

One notable pattern is a district-wide 5th grade challenge: all three schools see math proficiency drop significantly from 4th to 5th grade. Science is also a weakness—every school falls below the state average of 44.2%, and all declined in science from the prior year. Interestingly, Royston has the highest absenteeism rate (19.4%) yet outperforms Lavonia academically, suggesting factors beyond attendance drive results. Last year’s ELA data showed 5th grade reading as a relative strength, with Carnesville (47.1%) and Royston (43.8%) exceeding the state average of 43%. The nearly $2,500 per-student spending gap between Carnesville and Lavonia raises questions about resource equity within the district.