Summary:
The Thomaston-Upson County school district serves about 4,000 students across four schools—one high school, one middle school, and two elementary schools—in a high-poverty area where all elementary students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The standout performer is Upson-Lee Middle School, where 97.2% of students taking Algebra I scored proficient or better—more than double the state average and a dramatic jump from 66.7% the prior year. The school also excels in physical science (85.4% proficiency). However, this creates a paradox: while advanced coursework thrives, standard 8th-grade science (16.4%) and social studies (24.6%) proficiency lag far behind state averages. Meanwhile, Upson-Lee Elementary School shows the most positive trajectory, with 5th-grade math proficiency (47.6%) now exceeding the state average despite 100% poverty rates. Upson-Lee High School improved its state ranking by 87 positions in one year, boasts a 92.5% graduation rate (above the state's 87.2%), and has a dropout rate of just 1.8%.
A key concern is the disconnect between middle and high school Algebra I performance—the high school's proficiency (34.3%) remains well below the state average (48.1%) despite the middle school's exceptional results. Chronic absenteeism is also troubling at the high school (26.5%, nearly 9 points above the state average), though the elementary school's rate (13.1%) is better than the state's. District-wide, science and social studies consistently trail state averages across all grade levels. Per-student spending varies significantly, from $16,267 at Upson-Lee Primary School to $12,615 at the elementary school. Overall, the district shows cautious improvement—strong graduation rates, favorable student-teacher ratios (13.2 to 15.0), and notable gains in math—but faces ongoing challenges in content areas and attendance that warrant attention.
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