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Bethune Middle School

Public Grades 5-8
150th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 578 Georgia Middle Schools
Better than 74% of Georgia middle schools
Summary

Bethune Middle School in Folkston, GA, serves 453 students in grades 5 through 8 and is part of the highly rated Charlton County district. The school has shown remarkable progress over the past few years, climbing from the 44th percentile in statewide rankings in 2022-2023 to the 74th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 4-star rating.

One of the most impressive highlights is the school's exceptional support for Special Education students, who rank in the 96th percentile statewide—a 5-star performance that far exceeds typical results. The school also shines in 6th-grade math, where 66.6% of students are proficient, compared to just 40.7% statewide. Science scores are consistently strong too, with 8th graders outperforming the state average by about 10 percentage points in recent years. These strengths extend across student groups, with female, male, and African American students all earning 4-star ratings, suggesting success is school-wide rather than limited to one demographic.

While the overall trajectory is very positive, 8th-grade math remains an area for attention, with only 38.1% proficiency compared to the state's 46.3%. Chronic absenteeism has improved significantly, dropping from 23.2% in 2021-2022 to 16.3% in 2025-2026, now below the state average. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $13,524 per pupil with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.3. Given that nearly all students (99.56%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, these results are especially noteworthy. Bethune Middle School is clearly a school on the rise, effectively using its resources to drive meaningful academic gains for all learners.

453
Students ?
13.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,524
Per pupil spending ?
27.2%
Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?
All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)
 285 Little Phoebe Church Rd
       Folkston, GA  31537

(912) 496-2360

District: Charlton County


Students who attend Bethune Middle School usually attend:

High:    Charlton County High School

Feeder schools for Bethune Middle School:

Elementary:    Folkston Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
64.2%
African American:
24.3%
Two or more races:
7.7%
more
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 Compare Bethune Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Georgia average (48% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2016
✓Above the Georgia median (74th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school48%
District avg48%
Georgia avg42%
150th of 578
Georgia public middle schools ?
Top 26%▲ up 27 pts since 2016
From bottom 47% (2016) to top 26% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
42nd of 202Charlton County 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)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202139.0693 of 121442.9%★★☆☆☆
201945.6647 of 123447.6%★★☆☆☆
201848.9573 of 120952.6%★★★☆☆
201745.1618 of 120548.7%★★☆☆☆
201643.6662 of 123346.3%★★☆☆☆
201529.3873 of 124029.6%★☆☆☆☆
201447.5784 of 123136.3%★★☆☆☆
201336.4909 of 122525.8%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202669.8150 of 57874.0%★★★★☆
202560.8201 of 58565.6%★★★☆☆
202459.6211 of 57863.5%★★★☆☆
202341.5323 of 56943.2%★★☆☆☆
202251.9248 of 55855.6%★★★☆☆
202140.5302 of 54244.3%★★☆☆☆
201954.3231 of 55958.7%★★★☆☆
201850.7244 of 54355.1%★★★☆☆
201753.4228 of 53957.7%★★★☆☆
201645.2290 of 54546.8%★★☆☆☆
201539.6320 of 53740.4%★★☆☆☆
201449.3321 of 52138.4%★★☆☆☆
201345.3344 of 52734.7%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202669.5109 of 48077.3%★★★★☆
202559.1161 of 49467.4%★★★☆☆
202462.3140 of 48971.4%★★★★☆
202342.1262 of 48546.0%★★☆☆☆
202232.3314 of 48234.9%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202671.0141 of 55074.4%★★★★☆
202567.8151 of 56773.4%★★★★☆
202464.0174 of 55868.8%★★★☆☆
202348.4259 of 55353.2%★★★☆☆
202243.4292 of 54446.3%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202666.0161 of 55070.7%★★★★☆
202550.7259 of 56954.5%★★★☆☆
202453.3237 of 56157.8%★★★☆☆
202335.6348 of 55937.7%★★☆☆☆
202257.9200 of 55363.8%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202694.416 of 42596.2%★★★★★
202550.5175 of 44260.4%★★★☆☆
202453.0158 of 43763.8%★★★☆☆
202342.6217 of 42949.4%★★☆☆☆
202224.1370 of 43114.2%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankGeorgia percentileRating
202651.2191 of 40452.7%★★★☆☆
202541.3238 of 41542.7%★★☆☆☆
202436.6258 of 41738.1%★★☆☆☆
202323.6344 of 42919.8%★☆☆☆☆
202241.6246 of 42542.1%★★☆☆☆
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)
Middle school
Special Education (2026)96th percentile+22 vs school
African American (2026)77th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2026)74th percentile~ school
Male (2026)71st percentile-3 vs school
White (2026)53rd percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics50%+7 vs state
Social Studies44%+4 vs state
Science44%+6 vs state

5.0
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Frequently Asked Questions about Bethune Middle School

In the 2024-25 school year, 453 students attended Bethune Middle School.

Bethune Middle School ranks 150th of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Bethune Middle School usually go on to attend Charlton County High School

Students at Bethune Middle School are 64% White, 24% African American, 8% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

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Schools in Folkston, GA

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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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