High Schools in Macon County

Macon County High School is the sole high school in Macon County, serving grades 9–12 in Montezuma, GA, with 333 students and a high-poverty profile where about 81% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This single school faces significant academic challenges. On the 2025–2026 End-of-Course assessments, proficiency rates were dramatically below state averages: Algebra I at 11% (state: 48%), Biology at 15.5% (state: 47%), and U.S. History at 12.1% (state: 38.5%). Scores also declined sharply from the prior year, with Biology dropping 12.1 percentage points. The school’s state percentile ranking has slipped to the 9th percentile, placing it in the bottom 10% of Georgia high schools. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at 27.8%, well above the state’s 17.7%, and likely contributes to the low test performance. Despite spending $17,267 per student and maintaining a favorable 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio, these resources have not translated into academic gains.

There is one notable bright spot: the graduation rate is 91.6%, above the state average of 87.2%. However, this creates a paradox—students are graduating at a high rate while fewer than 1 in 8 meet state standards in most core subjects. This disconnect suggests that the path to graduation may not require strong academic mastery. With no other high schools in the county for comparison, there are no local peer benchmarks to identify strengths or best practices. For parents, the key takeaway is that while the school helps students finish high school, the low proficiency rates and rising absenteeism indicate that students may need additional academic support to be truly prepared for college or careers.