Calhoun County Elementary School

Calhoun County Elementary School in Edison, GA, serves 207 students in grades PK through 5 and is part of the Calhoun County district. This is a school on a remarkable upward climb—over the past five years, it has jumped from ranking in the bottom 3% of Georgia elementary schools to the 46th percentile statewide, a rise of nearly 500 positions. The school now holds a 2-star rating, and its improvement has been steady and consistent, with gains in nearly every measured area.

One of the most encouraging signs is the dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, which fell from 46.2% to 20.3% in just three years—a huge win that likely fuels the academic progress. In the most recent testing year, 5th grade science scores (51.7% proficient) actually beat the state average (44.2%), and 3rd grade math proficiency more than doubled from 16% to 37%. While math scores still trail state averages overall, the trend is clearly positive. The school also shows notable strength in serving its African American students, ranking in the 76th percentile statewide for that group. When compared to nearby schools, Calhoun outperforms Early County Elementary School in nearly every subject and grade level, and its overall ranking is better than both Clay County Elementary and Randolph County Elementary School—even though it spends less per student than Clay County and has a much lower student-to-teacher ratio (10.5:1) than Randolph County.

With 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, this school faces significant economic challenges, yet it is clearly making effective use of its resources. The remaining areas for focus are literacy and bringing all math scores up to state averages, but the momentum is undeniable. If current trends hold, Calhoun County Elementary is well on its way to becoming an above-average school in the next few years.