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Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades PK, KG-12
373rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,222 Georgia Alternative Schools
Better than 69% of Georgia alternative schools
Summary

Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy in Shellman, GA, is a public charter school serving 522 students in Pre-K through 12th grade, where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch and the school operates under the State Specialty Schools II- Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Char district.

The school’s biggest strength is mathematics, especially in middle school. In 8th grade, 75% of students scored proficient in math—nearly 29 points above the state average and a remarkable 46 points higher than nearby Pataula Charter Academy. Fifth and 4th grade math also beat state averages by 16 and 9 points, respectively. Algebra I tells an even more dramatic story: proficiency jumped from just 2.8% in 2022-2023 to 64.3% in 2025-2026, now 16 points above the state and far ahead of Pataula’s 25%. Science in 8th grade is also strong, beating the state by nearly 8 points. Chronic absenteeism has fallen sharply from 29.1% to 12.6%, now better than the state average of 17.7%. The school also maintains a favorable 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio and spends about $13,861 per student—slightly less than Pataula while achieving stronger results in most academic areas.

However, English Language Arts (ELA) remains a challenge in the middle grades. In 2024-2025, 6th grade ELA proficiency was just 16.7% versus 41.3% statewide, and 3rd and 5th grades also lagged. There are bright spots—8th grade ELA exceeded the state average, and 7th grade improved significantly—but ELA overall needs attention. Biology and U.S. History also trail state averages, and the graduation rate of 75% is below the state’s 87.2%. Still, the school’s dramatic math turnaround and improved attendance suggest that focused instructional changes are working, and families may want to watch whether similar gains spread to other subjects in the coming years.

522
Students ?
12.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,861
Per pupil spending ?
100%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 185 Pecan Street
       Shellman, GA  39886

(229) 345-3033

District: State Specialty Schools II- Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Char

Racial breakdown:

White:
68.8%
African American:
21.3%
Two or more races:
5.7%
more
 See top rated Georgia elementary schools

 Compare Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2023 → 60th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Georgia average (50% vs 44% meeting standards)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2023
✓Above the Georgia median (69th percentile)
Worth a look
!Graduation rate below the Georgia average (75% vs 87%)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Biology scores 16 pts below the Georgia average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school50%
District avg50%
Georgia avg44%
Elementary school
373rd of 1,222
Georgia public elementary schools ?
Top 31%▲ up 53 pts since 2019
From bottom 16% (2019) to top 31% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
139th of 578
Georgia public middle schools ?
Top 24%▲ up 60 pts since 2019
From bottom 16% (2019) to top 24% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
181st of 457
Georgia public high schools ?
Top 40%▲ up 7 pts since 2022
From top 47% (2022) to top 40% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202665.5373 of 122269.5%★★★☆☆
202544.1638 of 123848.5%★★☆☆☆
202452.9531 of 123657.0%★★★☆☆
202344.7621 of 122349.2%★★☆☆☆
202240.9682 of 122044.1%★★☆☆☆
202138.4699 of 121442.4%★★☆☆☆
201917.21033 of 123416.3%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202679.2216 of 118981.8%★★★★☆
202556.1486 of 122460.3%★★★☆☆
202456.0477 of 122361.0%★★★☆☆
202347.2592 of 121251.2%★★★☆☆
202241.1675 of 120644.0%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202646.3590 of 118650.3%★★★☆☆
202531.3812 of 122533.7%★★☆☆☆
202447.9591 of 122051.6%★★★☆☆
202341.3653 of 121046.0%★★☆☆☆
202242.5653 of 120946.0%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202639.6430 of 70338.8%★★☆☆☆
202524.6601 of 76921.8%★☆☆☆☆
202432.9529 of 77231.5%★★☆☆☆
202325.1610 of 77521.3%★☆☆☆☆
202219.2665 of 77914.6%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202673.7139 of 57876.0%★★★★☆
202562.0192 of 58567.2%★★★☆☆
202457.1225 of 57861.1%★★★☆☆
202339.3338 of 56940.6%★★☆☆☆
202225.5416 of 55825.4%★☆☆☆☆
202135.1344 of 54236.5%★★☆☆☆
201918.8472 of 55915.6%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202675.1115 of 55079.1%★★★★☆
202562.4183 of 56767.7%★★★☆☆
202464.9169 of 55869.7%★★★☆☆
202339.4322 of 55341.8%★★☆☆☆
202216.5472 of 54413.2%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202669.0146 of 55073.5%★★★★☆
202559.5192 of 56966.3%★★★☆☆
202447.2278 of 56150.4%★★★☆☆
202340.5318 of 55943.1%★★☆☆☆
202236.9339 of 55338.7%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202660.4154 of 40461.9%★★★☆☆
202554.0177 of 41557.3%★★★☆☆
202452.9186 of 41755.4%★★★☆☆
202330.5308 of 42928.2%★☆☆☆☆
20229.5408 of 4254.0%☆☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202646.8181 of 45760.4%★★★☆☆
202542.0214 of 45152.5%★★★☆☆
202434.4271 of 45440.3%★★☆☆☆
202326.1313 of 44830.1%★★☆☆☆
202243.5202 of 43153.1%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202638.7224 of 43148.0%★★☆☆☆
202526.6313 of 43828.5%★☆☆☆☆
202433.4270 of 43537.9%★★☆☆☆
202246.0199 of 43053.7%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202674.257 of 43686.9%★★★★☆
202543.0211 of 44252.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202644.1158 of 33452.7%★★★☆☆
202531.8226 of 34133.7%★★☆☆☆
202418.7299 of 34613.6%★☆☆☆☆
202313.4313 of 3438.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202226.3252 of 33925.7%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Elementary school
Female (2026)82nd percentile+12 vs school
Male (2026)50th percentile-19 vs school
White (2026)39th percentile-31 vs school
Middle school
Female (2026)79th percentile+3 vs school
Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school
White (2026)62nd percentile-14 vs school
High school
Male (2026)87th percentile+27 vs school
White (2026)53rd percentile-8 vs school
Female (2026)48th percentile-12 vs school
By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?
Algebra I64%+16 vs state
Mathematics56%+10 vs state
Social Studies48%+7 vs state
Science39%~ state avg
United States History37%~ state avg
Biology31%-16 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, July 23, 2020

Open Quote I love our small town school, and most of the teachers are local and well known. We are still very new, but improving every year. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy

Students at Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy are 69% White, 21% African American, 6% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy ranks 373rd of 1222 Georgia alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 522 students attended Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy.

Rate Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy!



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Latest Georgia data All new data »
2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026
2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026
2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)Aug 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.

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