Summary:
The McDuffie County school district serves roughly 3,088 students across six schools in a predominantly rural, low-income area of Georgia, including four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.
For parents, the standout story is Thomson-McDuffie Middle School, which dramatically outperforms the rest of the district in advanced math. Its Algebra I proficiency rate of 49.1% nearly matches the state average and is more than triple the district's overall rate, though it did decline from 59.6% the prior year. In contrast, Thomson High School presents a paradox: it boasts an excellent 95.6% graduation rate, well above the state's 87.2%, yet its Algebra I proficiency sits at just 13.6%, a staggering 34.5 points below the state average. Among elementary schools, Dearing Elementary School is the highest performer, with 5th grade math proficiency (44.1%) exactly matching the state average, while Norris Elementary School has declined for three straight years and now ranks in the 20th percentile statewide.
The district overall ranks 149th out of 201 Georgia districts with a 1-star rating, and proficiency gaps versus the state are wide—often 20 to 28 points behind in middle school math, science, and social studies. Chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge at 24.7% district-wide, with Thomson High School particularly affected at 27.5%. Notably, the district spends the most per student at its lowest-performing schools (Thomson Elementary School at $16,189 and Norris Elementary School at $16,150) while the middle school receives the least ($12,364) yet shows the strongest results. Year-over-year volatility is common across all schools, making reliable trend identification difficult, but the middle school's advanced math program and the high school's strong graduation rate offer genuine bright spots in an otherwise struggling district.
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