Middle Schools in Valdosta City

The Valdosta City school district in Georgia is served by two middle schools, Valdosta Middle School and Newbern Middle School, both covering grades 6-8 and operating within a district that currently ranks in the bottom 14% of Georgia districts.

For parents comparing the two schools, Valdosta Middle School is the clear academic leader. It holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 37th percentile statewide, a notable improvement from last year. Its students excel in advanced coursework, with 83.9% scoring proficient on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam and 77.1% proficient in high school Physical Science—both well above state averages. In contrast, Newbern Middle School holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 16th percentile, though it has shown meaningful improvement from the 8th percentile last year. Newbern's advanced course proficiency is much lower (50% in Algebra I, 30% in Physical Science), and its standard grade-level scores trail Valdosta's in every subject, including a 17.4 percentage-point gap in 8th-grade Social Studies.

Both schools face significant challenges in standard grade-level subjects, with math and science proficiency rates roughly half the state averages. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at both schools, but especially at Newbern Middle School, where 30.9% of students are chronically absent—nearly double the state rate. Notably, Newbern Middle School actually spends more per student ($14,274 vs. $13,211) and has a better student-teacher ratio (11.9:1 vs. 13.7:1) than Valdosta Middle School, yet its outcomes are substantially lower. This suggests that economic factors—Newbern serves a 100% free/reduced lunch population compared to Valdosta's 86.91%—and attendance issues play a larger role than funding alone. Parents should consider that while Valdosta Middle offers strong advanced programs, both schools have room to grow in foundational subjects.