Summary:
Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School is the sole high school serving grades 9-12 in Wilkes County, Georgia, a rural district where the school enrolls 368 students and serves a community with a very high poverty rate—92.66% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
This school’s graduation rate of 87.1% essentially matches the state average of 87.2%, which is a notable achievement given the socioeconomic challenges its students face. However, academic proficiency on end-of-course tests lags behind state averages in most subjects. In the most recent 2025-2026 data, Algebra I proficiency was 36.4% versus 48.1% statewide, Biology was 21.7% versus 47.2%, and U.S. History was 31.1% versus 38.5%. The school did show relative strength in U.S. History the prior year, outperforming the state at 40.3% versus 38.6%, but that edge did not hold. The school’s state ranking has been volatile, dropping from 235th in 2024-2025 to 296th in 2025-2026, placing it in the 35th percentile of Georgia high schools.
Chronic absenteeism stands at 17.1%, slightly better than the state’s 17.7% but higher than the district’s 14.8%, suggesting attendance is a challenge specific to the high school. On the positive side, the school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.3:1 and spends $16,510 per student, indicating adequate resources. The biggest concern is the sharp decline in Algebra I proficiency, which fell 7.7 points in one year while the state improved, widening the gap from near parity to nearly 12 points below average. Biology remains the weakest subject, with proficiency less than half the state rate. English Language Arts scores are not yet available and will be released in December, so a full academic picture is still pending.
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