High Schools in Towns County

Towns County High School is the sole high school serving Towns County, a rural area in the Georgia mountains, and it educates students in grades 9 through 12 with a current enrollment of 279.

This single school presents a strong overall profile. It has earned a 4-star rating for three consecutive years, ranking in the 80th–86th percentile statewide. Academically, it outperforms the state average in every reported subject. Most notably, its US History proficiency rate of 62.5% is a remarkable 24 percentage points above the state average of 38.5%. The school also shows positive momentum in STEM subjects, with Algebra I proficiency improving by 6.9 points and Biology by 7.5 points year-over-year. Its graduation rate of 94.0% comfortably exceeds the state's 87.2%. These achievements are particularly impressive given that 68.1% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a majority low-income population. The school benefits from a favorable 11.1:1 student-teacher ratio and spends $19,665 per student, suggesting strong resource allocation.

However, the most significant concern is chronic absenteeism. At 36.2%, the school's rate is more than double the district and state average of 17.7%. This means over a third of students are missing substantial instructional time, which could threaten the school's strong academic results in the future. Additionally, while the school's Algebra I proficiency (56.9%) is above the state average, it lags the district figure of 64.0%—a puzzling discrepancy since this is the only high school in the Towns County district. Overall, Towns County High School is a high-performing rural school with excellent test scores and graduation rates, but addressing its elevated absenteeism will be critical to sustaining long-term success.