Summary:
Stewart County is a small, rural district in western Georgia with three schools—an elementary school (PK-5), a middle school (6-8), and a high school (9-12)—serving about 338 students, nearly all of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The district’s standout is Stewart County Elementary School, which posted a perfect 100% graduation rate at the high school level and strong early math results. In 3rd grade, 78.9% of elementary students scored proficient in math—well above the state average of 48.3%—and the school jumped from the 25th to the 53rd percentile in overall ranking. However, math proficiency drops sharply as students advance: 50% in 4th grade and just 26.1% in 5th grade, a pattern that persisted from the prior year. Stewart County High School also shines with a 100% graduation rate, far exceeding the state’s 87.2%, though its Algebra I proficiency (25%) and Biology proficiency (27.5%) lag state averages by roughly 20 points.
The biggest concern is Stewart County Middle School, which ranks in the 9th percentile with a 0-star rating. Proficiency rates there are alarmingly low—11.1% in 6th-grade math, 16.7% in 8th-grade math, and 0% in both 8th-grade science and social studies—representing a steep decline from elementary performance. Chronic absenteeism is a hidden strength across the district (2.4% elementary, 4.3% high school, 10.8% middle school, versus the state’s 17.7%), and per-student spending is exceptionally high ($21,954–$31,132). Yet the middle school’s steady decline from the 33rd to the 9th percentile over two years signals an urgent need for intervention, especially given that small class sizes make year-to-year swings volatile and targeted support potentially impactful.
Thank you for your feedback!