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Middle Schools in Paulding County

Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

At a glance

DistrictPaulding County88^th of 202 Georgia districtsFull district overview →

Schools

7,340

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedSammy McClure Senior Middle School31^st of 578 Georgia middle schools

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Biggest riser

East Paulding Middle School up 75 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

J. A. Dobbins Middle School 12.9 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Crossroads Middle School

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

Compare Georgia districts →See the top-ranked Georgia schools →

Summary:

Paulding County is home to 10 middle schools serving grades 6-8, with a combined enrollment of roughly 7,340 students across a suburban district northwest of Atlanta that ranks in the 57th percentile statewide. The district earns a 3-star rating, and while current English Language Arts scores are not yet available (they release in December), the data below focuses on math, science, social studies, and Algebra I performance.

Two schools clearly lead the pack. Sammy McClure Senior Middle School is the district’s top performer, ranked 31st statewide with a 5-star rating, and it posts a remarkable 78.8% proficiency in 8th grade social studies—nearly double the district average of 42%. Crossroads Middle School is the other 5-star school, ranked 41st, and it leads the district in math, with 66.5% proficiency in both 6th and 8th grade math and a perfect 100% on the Algebra I End of Course exam. East Paulding Middle School is the most improved, jumping 75 spots to 125th statewide, with 6th grade math proficiency soaring from 39.4% to 60.9%. At the other end, Herschel Jones Middle School ranks 415th (1 star) and struggles most in 6th grade math, where only 14.7% of students are proficient versus the 42.2% district average.

Several patterns stand out. Every school posts strong Algebra I scores (79.3% to 100%), but this likely reflects that only top students take the course—grade-level math proficiency is much lower. There is no clear link between spending and results: J. A. Dobbins Middle School spends the most per student ($16,471) yet ranks 283rd, while Crossroads spends the least ($11,614) and ranks 41st. Poverty correlates with performance—the top three schools all have free/reduced lunch rates below 50%, while the bottom three exceed 68%. Chronic absenteeism ranges from 11.4% at Crossroads to 24.2% at Herschel Jones, though the district average (16.8%) beats the state (17.7%). Notably, 8 of 10 schools exceed the state average in 8th grade science, with Crossroads (57.5%) and Sammy McClure (56.2%) nearly doubling it—a clear district strength.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2026)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Paulding Middle School	Public	6-8	2945 Hiram Acworth Hwy	Dallas	30157	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-7000	630	44	14.3	46.3%	343 (54.4%)	146 (23.2%)	103 (16.3%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.9%)	75.8	125^th of 578 public middle schools	78.4%		60.8	200^th of 585 public middle schools	65.8%	75	100.0	60.9	51.0	55.0	45.4	40.8	$14,350	$370	$13,980
Herschel Jones Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Stadium Dr	Dallas	30132	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-8024	728	53	13.8	71.7%	208 (28.6%)	352 (48.4%)	112 (15.4%)	7 (1.0%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.7%)	41 (5.6%)	27.2	415^th of 578 public middle schools	28.2%		26.3	432^nd of 585 public middle schools	26.2%	17	87.5	14.7	23.8	28.4	26.3	21.2	$13,789	$832	$12,956
J. A. Dobbins Middle School	Public	6-8	637 Williams Lake Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-4835	531	41	12.9	71.4%	130 (24.5%)	205 (38.6%)	157 (29.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.8%)	47	283^rd of 578 public middle schools	51.0%		41.7	326^th of 585 public middle schools	44.3%	43	100.0	25.7	30.2	46.7	29.6	39.7	$16,471	$722	$15,749
South Paulding Middle School	Public	6-8	592 Nebo Rd	Dallas	30157	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 445-8500	507	38	13.3	58.8%	293 (57.8%)	118 (23.3%)	66 (13.0%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.7%)	45	294^th of 578 public middle schools	49.1%		42.4	318^th of 585 public middle schools	45.6%	24	79.3	38.8	28.3	30.1	30.1	39.2	$15,278	$241	$15,037
Lena Mae Moses Middle School	Public	6-8	1066 Old County Farm Rd	Dallas	30132	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-8727	921	59	15.6	48.0%	413 (44.8%)	335 (36.4%)	98 (10.6%)	14 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (6.3%)	60.3	209^th of 578 public middle schools	63.8%		53.1	247^th of 585 public middle schools	57.8%	38	98.4	34.2	35.4	47.6	44.3	47.3	$12,742	$376	$12,367
Irma C. Austin Middle School	Public	6-8	3490 Ridge Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 942-0316	782	52	15.0	58.3%	331 (42.3%)	284 (36.3%)	117 (15.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (5.8%)	44.2	300^th of 578 public middle schools	48.1%		40.7	333^rd of 585 public middle schools	43.1%	33	83.3	41.1	34.8	26.3	33.2	28.5	$13,317	$203	$13,114
Sammy McClure Senior Middle School	Public	6-8	315 Bob Grogan Dr	Dallas	30132	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 505-3700	834	50	16.6	24.8%	599 (71.8%)	104 (12.5%)	79 (9.5%)	19 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.0%)	92.2	31^st of 578 public middle schools	94.6%		85.8	73^rd of 585 public middle schools	87.5%	42	98.8	61.3	67.2	65.9	56.2	78.8	$12,864	$424	$12,440
Carl Scoggins Senior Middle school	Public	6-8	1663 Mulberry Rock Rd	Dallas	30157	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 456-4188	809	49	16.5	52.8%	531 (65.6%)	158 (19.5%)	79 (9.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.6%)	49	266^th of 578 public middle schools	54.0%		51.1	255^th of 585 public middle schools	56.4%	11	96.4	34.0	47.4	37.1	26.6	33.7	$12,496	$225	$12,270
P. B. Ritch Middle School	Public	6-8	60 Old Country Trl	Dallas	30157	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-8000	690	48	14.3	68.3%	120 (17.4%)	390 (56.5%)	108 (15.7%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	60 (8.7%)	32.2	382^nd of 578 public middle schools	33.9%		34.2	380^th of 585 public middle schools	35.0%	2	100.0	30.2	20.8	30.8	28.8	18.1	$13,969	$576	$13,392
Crossroads Middle School	Public	6-8	200 Timberwolf Drive	Acworth	30101	Cobb County	Paulding County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(678) 460-1580	908	52	17.4	31.2%	473 (52.1%)	256 (28.2%)	94 (10.4%)	38 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.2%)	90.3	41^st of 578 public middle schools	92.9%					(n/a)	100.0	66.5	63.6	66.5	57.5	58.2	$11,614	$284	$11,330

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Cobb County	2.35 mi	112	58^th
Department of Juvenile Justice	6.05 mi	32
Cartersville City	6.42 mi	4	70^th
Bartow County	6.71 mi	21	73^rd
State Specialty Schools II- Northwest Classical Academy	7.77 mi	1

See the top GA Georgia districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.