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Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School

Q: Is Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School a good school?

Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School ranks 354 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

354^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Atlanta's Buckhead area serving 851 students as part of Atlanta Public Schools.

Sara Rawson Smith is a solid, well-regarded school that consistently outperforms its district averages in every subject and grade level tested. In the most recent data, 4th grade math proficiency reached 55.3% versus the district's 46.3%, and 5th grade science hit 56.4%—well above both district (41.7%) and state (44.2%) averages. The school's standout metric is chronic absenteeism: at just 9.9%, it dramatically beats the district's 27.6% and the state's 17.7%, and it has improved steadily from 21% just three years ago. This is a school that clearly knows how to get kids to class. While its statewide ranking has slipped from the 88th percentile in 2020-2021 to the 71st percentile today, this reflects other Georgia schools improving faster—not a decline in absolute performance. The school also serves its students efficiently, spending $24,243 per pupil, which is less than nearby Jackson Elementary ($28,654) and Garden Hills Elementary ($27,197) while achieving better outcomes than Garden Hills.

That said, there are areas worth watching. Hispanic students at Sara Rawson Smith rank in just the 16th percentile statewide—a significant gap compared to the strong 84th and 89th percentile rankings for African American and White students, respectively. Male students (66th percentile) also trail female students (75th percentile). Math performance shows some volatility, with 5th grade proficiency dipping from 54.3% to 48.4% even as 3rd and 4th grades improved. In the competitive Buckhead cluster, Sara Rawson Smith sits between top performers like Jackson Elementary (96th percentile) and Morris Brandon Elementary (94th percentile) and schools like Garden Hills (70th percentile). Its proven ability to cut absenteeism in half suggests the school has the capacity to tackle its remaining challenges.

851

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,243

Per pupil spending ?

34.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

370 Old Ivy Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30342

(404) 802-3850

District: Atlanta Public Schools

Students who attend Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Willis A. Sutton Middle School
High:	North Atlanta High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

33.1%

White:

27.4%

Hispanic:

25.0%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Georgia average (53% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Atlanta Public Schools

✓Above the Georgia median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg44%

Georgia avg47%

354^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 55Elementary Schools in the Atlanta Public Schools

120^th of 201Atlanta Public Schools among Georgia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	67.1	354 of 1219	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	72.4	303 of 1238	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.5	375 of 1236	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.6	293 of 1223	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	230 of 1220	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	86.8	147 of 1214	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	87.4	142 of 1234	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	90.4	105 of 1209	91.3%	★★★★★
2017	87.3	133 of 1205	89.0%	★★★★☆
2016	91.9	89 of 1233	92.8%	★★★★★
2015	92.5	88 of 1240	92.9%	★★★★★
2014	78.5	217 of 1231	82.4%	★★★★☆
2013	78.4	231 of 1225	81.1%	★★★★☆
2012	83.8	104 of 1201	91.3%	★★★★★
2011	85.5	87 of 1212	92.8%	★★★★★
2010	83.3	128 of 1183	89.2%	★★★★☆
2009	84.0	116 of 1133	89.8%	★★★★☆
2008	86.5	87 of 1134	92.3%	★★★★★
2007	89.4	45 of 1125	96.0%	★★★★★
2006	88.6	42 of 1101	96.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	75.1	136 of 828	83.6%	★★★★☆
2025	72.6	176 of 892	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.1	187 of 879	78.7%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	234 of 870	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	124 of 876	85.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	105 of 214	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.7	174 of 317	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.4	96 of 304	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	94 of 286	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.7	52 of 283	81.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	70.8	297 of 1186	75.0%	★★★★☆
2025	76.0	262 of 1224	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	71.3	309 of 1223	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	68.6	338 of 1212	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	213 of 1206	82.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	424 of 503	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.1	290 of 583	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.2	283 of 565	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.2	181 of 535	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.6	172 of 516	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	405 of 1183	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.5	362 of 1225	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	60.0	450 of 1220	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.9	258 of 1210	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	236 of 1209	80.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	106 of 465	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	51.9	157 of 415	62.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	86.6	80 of 700	88.6%	★★★★☆
2025	86.9	86 of 769	88.8%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	152 of 772	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	104 of 775	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	88.4	72 of 779	90.8%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2026)89th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2026)84th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2026)77th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)75th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)66th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)51st percentile-20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science56%+12 vs state

Mathematics52%+5 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 14, 2016

Mediocre school living off past glory. My child learnt nothing while there for a year. All he learned was to be scared of school as he said the teachers were 'not nice to him'. Thankfully we moved back home to London and he started school here. At his current school, he consistently wins awards and praises from his teachers.
At Sarah Smith each day we picked him up, they had something negative to say about his behaviour. There was a day I volunteered to help make stuff for the school, I happened to walk past his class and saw that his teacher had given him a single desk facing the classroom door. He literally was sitting with his back to the rest of the class and his teachers, whilst facing all the distractions the busy hallway had to offer. I requested a meeting with the teacher and head teacher once I found out he'd actually being in that position for over two weeks. Now I'm not an expert, but this in my opinion was not the right way to deal with a child that "talks too much, doesn't sit criss cross applesauce, does not walk a straight line in the hallways". These were the crimes I was told he committed that got him this sitting position. Not that he hurts or attacks his friends or anything awfully distracting.
The head teacher did the right thing during the meeting and agreed that banishing a child to the exit was exclusionary and child shaming and was not the right thing to do with a 5 year old. She requested the teacher seat him close to her, so he could be redirected once he started getting antsy. Unfortunately, by this point, the harm had already being done and school held little pleasure for him.
We are very happy things have improved since attending his new school. He's reading very well now, writing full page stories, and we've discovered he's an Arithmetic genius but best of all, he enjoys school. He still cries when he remembers Sarah Smith and does not even want us to talk about visiting Atlanta as he is too scared we will send him back there. We have promised him he will never have to go back there. It's being 11months since our son left Sarah Smith and I'm writing this review now because he came crying again this morning saying he had a nightmare that he we sent him back to Sarah Smith. This literally broke my heart! I had to put this down. It was Kindergarten, why did it have to be so stressful??? Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The school population has changed in recent years. The administration and teachers have continued to provide an excellent education to the students. I'm proud to have my children attend Sarah Smith. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, January 23, 2014

LOVE it! We have been very happy at Sarah Smith. Close Quote

Schools Near Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	370 Old Ivy Rd NE	Atlanta	30342	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(404) 802-3850	851	60	14.2	34.7%	233 (27.4%)	282 (33.1%)	213 (25.0%)	52 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (8.2%)	67.1	354^th of 1219 public elementary schools	71.0%		72.4	303^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	75.5%	51	51.8	55.3	48.4	56.4	$24,243	$687	$23,556
Garden Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	285 Sheridan Dr NE	Atlanta	30305	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 802-7800	494	44	11.3	72.5%	73 (14.8%)	211 (42.7%)	179 (36.2%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.7%)	66.2	365^th of 1219 public elementary schools	70.1%		49.4	573^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	53.7%	208	55.7	64.2	41.4	48.5	$27,197	$1,207	$25,990
Woodward Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3034 Curtis Dr NE	Brookhaven	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-7802	553	46	12.0	84.6%	4 (0.7%)	38 (6.9%)	499 (90.2%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	12.3	1118^th of 1219 public elementary schools	8.3%		13.4	1125^th of 1238 public elementary schools	9.1%	7	22.4	25.0	17.2	20.7	$19,368	$1,884	$17,484
E. Rivers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8 Peachtree Battle Ave NW	Atlanta	30305	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(404) 802-7050	699	57	12.2	41.6%	235 (33.6%)	227 (32.5%)	161 (23.0%)	30 (4.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.4%)	74.2	283^rd of 1219 public elementary schools	76.8%		68.6	342^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	72.4%	59	63.0	59.6	50.0	55.5	$24,962	$843	$24,118
High Point Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	520 Greenland Rd	Atlanta	30342	Fulton County	Fulton County	No	No	No	Yes	(470) 254-7716	684	51	13.5	56.9%	175 (25.6%)	231 (33.8%)	186 (27.2%)	46 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (6.7%)	71.3	309^th of 1219 public elementary schools	74.7%		73.1	296^th of 1238 public elementary schools	76.1%	13	56.8	64.7	45.3	54.6	$16,999	$937	$16,062
Jackson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1325 Mount Paran Rd NW	Atlanta	30327	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(404) 802-8800	502	41	12.3	18.3%	267 (53.2%)	124 (24.7%)	39 (7.8%)	35 (7.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.8%)	96	52^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	95.7%		94.3	79^th of 1238 public elementary schools	93.6%	27	81.1	83.3	77.6	72.4	$28,654	$1,281	$27,373
Morris Brandon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2741 Howell Mill Rd NW	Atlanta	30327	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(404) 802-7250	911	56	16.1	19.2%	527 (57.8%)	228 (25.0%)	78 (8.6%)	34 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.7%)	94.6	79^th of 1219 public elementary schools	93.5%		93.3	97^th of 1238 public elementary schools	92.2%	18	83.4	82.9	68.6	70.7	$23,756	$948	$22,808
Montclair Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1680 Clairmont Pl NE	Brookhaven	30329	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-7302	590	52	11.3	83.6%	10 (1.7%)	76 (12.9%)	494 (83.7%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	11	1140^th of 1219 public elementary schools	6.5%		10	1183^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	4.4%	43	26.9	21.3	20.5	8.9	$19,749	$2,134	$17,615
Ashford Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2968 Cravenridge Dr NE	Atlanta	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 676-6702	757	51	14.8	14.8%	464 (61.3%)	86 (11.4%)	85 (11.2%)	54 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (9.0%)	91.6	113^th of 1219 public elementary schools	90.7%		93.5	94^th of 1238 public elementary schools	92.4%	19	75.9	71.6	67.6	70.0	$16,844	$2,374	$14,470
John Robert Lewis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2630 Skyland Dr NE	Brookhaven	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-1502	840	65	12.9	87.9%	10 (1.2%)	40 (4.8%)	763 (90.8%)	9 (1.1%)	15 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	10.4	1151^st of 1219 public elementary schools	5.6%		12.2	1143^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	7.7%	8	20.5	20.6	21.7	14.1	$20,270	$1,876	$18,394

Frequently Asked Questions about Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School

How many students attend Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 851 students attended Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School?

Students at Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School are 33% African American, 27% White, 25% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willis A. Sutton Middle School
High : North Atlanta High School

What district is Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School in?

Atlanta Public Schools

Is Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School a good school?

Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School ranks 354^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Sara Rawson Smith Elementary School!

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)NewAug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.