High Schools in Griffin-Spalding County

Griffin-Spalding County is home to three public high schools—Griffin High School, Spalding High School, and AZ Kelsey Academy—serving grades 9-12 in a district that ranks in the bottom 15% of Georgia school systems. The Griffin-Spalding County district faces significant challenges, with all three schools posting chronic absenteeism rates well above the state average of 17.7% and proficiency rates on End of Course (EOC) assessments that trail state averages by 13 to 29 percentage points. English Language Arts scores are not included in this release and will be published separately in December.

Spalding High School is the clear academic leader in the district. It outperforms Griffin High on Algebra I (28.4% vs. 19.2% proficiency) and Biology (33.5% vs. 18.3%), and its Biology score is the only one in the district within 14 points of the state average. Spalding also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (27.6% vs. 32.4%) and a lower poverty rate (82.37% vs. 98.67% free/reduced lunch). However, Spalding's US History proficiency dropped sharply from 25.4% to 19.9% year-over-year, while Griffin High improved in all three subjects, including a 7.6-point jump in US History. Griffin High, despite its low test scores, posts the district's highest graduation rate at 93.4%, surpassing both Spalding (88.0%) and the state average (87.2%).

AZ Kelsey Academy is a small alternative school with just 47 students and a strikingly different profile. It spends $80,875 per student—more than five times the spending at the other schools—and maintains a 6.6:1 student-teacher ratio. Its graduation rate of 91.7% suggests the intensive investment yields positive outcomes for students who struggled in traditional settings. Notably, Spalding receives $1,424 more per student than Griffin High despite serving a less economically disadvantaged population. For parents, the takeaway is that Spalding offers the strongest academics, Griffin High excels at getting students to graduation, and AZ Kelsey provides a highly individualized alternative path—but all three schools face systemic challenges that require careful consideration.