Telfair County

Telfair County Schools serve about 1,543 students across four schools in central Georgia, including one elementary school (PK-5), one middle school (6-8), and two high schools (9-12), with all students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Telfair County High School is the district’s standout, climbing from the 48th to 60th percentile in state rankings and posting a 93.9% graduation rate that beats both the district (87.5%) and state (87.2%) averages. It also leads in U.S. History proficiency (49.4% vs. 38.5% statewide). Telfair County Middle School shows the most dramatic improvement, jumping 101 spots in state rankings to the 63rd percentile, with 8th-grade Social Studies (52.9%) and Science (33%) both exceeding state averages. However, Telfair Alternative Preparation School struggles significantly, with a 65.7% chronic absenteeism rate, a 45:1 student-teacher ratio, and a 26.3% dropout rate—though it serves a specialized at-risk population. Telfair County Elementary shows a concerning pattern where math proficiency drops from 54% in 3rd grade to just 29.5% by 5th grade, well below the state’s 44.1%.

District-wide, chronic absenteeism is a major concern—every school except the high school (16.7%) exceeds the state’s 17.7% rate, with the middle school at 26.8%. The alternative school spends the most per student ($18,772) yet has the highest student-teacher ratio, suggesting fixed costs drive spending rather than enhanced resources. Despite 100% economic disadvantage, the district earns a 3-star rating, and the high school’s graduation rate is a bright spot. The most striking change is at the high school, where Biology proficiency plummeted from 61.7% to 34.3% in one year, while Algebra I (47%) and U.S. History (49.4%) improved dramatically—a mix that warrants investigation into curriculum or cohort changes. Current English Language Arts scores are not yet available for this release, so literacy trends remain unclear until December.