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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.

Clarke Middle School

Q: Is Clarke Middle School a good school?

Clarke Middle School ranks 327 th of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

327^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 43% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Clarke Middle School in Athens, GA, serves 718 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Clarke County School District, which ranks in the 32nd percentile statewide.

Clarke Middle School currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking 327th out of 578 Georgia middle schools (43rd percentile). This is a drop from last year's 3-star rating (268th place) and reflects a return to the school's second-lowest ranking in a decade. The school serves a high-poverty population, with nearly 84% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Despite this challenge, the school spends a substantial $19,260 per student and maintains a favorable 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio. The most striking bright spot is Algebra I: an exceptional 89.4% of students scored proficient or better on the End of Course assessment—nearly double the district average (36.9%) and far exceeding the state average (48.1%). This strong performance has been consistent for several years, suggesting a highly effective accelerated math pathway. Other bright spots include 8th grade math (39.7% proficiency, above the district's 30.6%) and Social Studies (35.2% vs. district's 23.5%). However, chronic absenteeism remains a concern at 26.6%, well above the state average of 17.7%, though it is trending downward from 34% in 2021-2022.

Within the Clarke County district, Clarke Middle performs nearly identically to Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School (both at the 43rd percentile), while significantly outperforming Coile Middle School (8th percentile) and Hilsman Middle School (16th percentile). The contrast with nearby Oconee County schools is stark: Malcom Bridge Middle School and Dove Creek Middle School both rank in the 92nd-94th percentile with 5-star ratings, though they serve far fewer students in poverty (17% and 10% free/reduced lunch, respectively). Clarke Middle actually spends significantly more per student than these schools ($19,260 vs. ~$13,000), yet achieves lower overall outcomes—a reminder that funding alone doesn't overcome the challenges of concentrated poverty. The school's subgroup data shows strong performance for White students (77th percentile) but much lower results for other groups, representing the school's most pressing equity challenge. While the school has shown resilience before (recovering from a pandemic-era dip), the combination of declining rankings, persistent absenteeism, and widening achievement gaps suggests targeted intervention is needed.

718

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,260

Per pupil spending ?

83.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1235 Baxter St
Athens, GA 30606

(706) 543-6547

District: Clarke County

Students who attend Clarke Middle School usually attend:

High:

Clarke Central High School

Feeder schools for Clarke Middle School:

Elementary:	Barrow Elementary School
	Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School
	Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
	Timothy Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

45.1%

White:

34.7%

Hispanic:

13.1%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Clarke Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Clarke County

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 18% Georgia)

!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 school41%

District avg29%

Georgia avg45%

327^th of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Clarke County

138^th of 202Clarke 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	327 of 578	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.7	268 of 585	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.0	242 of 578	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.8	260 of 569	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.4	231 of 558	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.2	343 of 542	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.5	306 of 559	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.5	224 of 543	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.7	241 of 539	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.1	189 of 545	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.2	155 of 537	71.1%	★★★★☆
2014	53.0	288 of 521	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.0	389 of 527	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.5	352 of 508	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.1	376 of 504	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.3	327 of 494	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.0	336 of 466	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.4	349 of 462	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.8	340 of 445	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.2	349 of 420	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	12.8	461 of 480	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	466 of 494	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	454 of 489	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	454 of 485	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	414 of 482	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	131 of 166	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.1	100 of 199	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.2	111 of 200	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	36.6	333 of 550	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.6	343 of 567	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	312 of 558	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	321 of 553	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.6	255 of 544	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	298 of 374	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.9	202 of 400	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	204 of 381	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.4	266 of 380	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.0	160 of 367	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	308 of 550	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.8	248 of 569	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	226 of 561	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.0	244 of 559	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	257 of 553	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	30.8	288 of 425	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.3	169 of 442	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.7	183 of 437	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.3	288 of 429	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	250 of 431	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	94 of 404	76.7%	★★★★☆
2025	80.2	69 of 415	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	84.1	52 of 417	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	80 of 429	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	81.9	63 of 425	85.2%	★★★★☆

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)77th percentile+33 vs school

Male (2026)44th percentile~ school

Female (2026)39th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)32nd percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)21st percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile-23 vs school

African American (2026)4th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I89%+41 vs state

HS Physical Science37%-24 vs state

Mathematics36%-7 vs state

Social Studies35%-5 vs state

2.5

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★2

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, October 4, 2019

roaches roaches everyhwere pls help us Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, October 2, 2019

so many roaches, roaches literally everywhere Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, March 21, 2018

We love Clarke Middle School! Our kids play school sports and participate in the Clarke Scholars as well as band and the arts. The organic garden and goats are a real plus. Don't let the state standardized test scores scare you-- the kids get a great well-rounded education and the teachers really care. Plus it's an International Baccalaureate school with a focus on foreign languages. Close Quote

Schools Near Clarke Middle 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 Algebra I (2026)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2026)	Milestones Assessment HS Physical 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 (2025)	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 Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clarke Middle School	Public	6-8	1235 Baxter St	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 543-6547	718	63	11.3	83.8%	249 (34.7%)	324 (45.1%)	94 (13.1%)	13 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (5.0%)	39.9	327^th of 578 public middle schools	43.4%		49.7	268^th of 585 public middle schools	54.2%	59	89.4	30.9	38.6	39.7		35.2	37.4	$19,260	$1,205	$18,055
Hilsman Middle School	Public	6-8	870 Gaines School Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-7281	624	57	11.0	100.0%	116 (18.6%)	354 (56.7%)	112 (17.9%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.6%)	17	485^th of 578 public middle schools	16.1%		22.5	451^st of 585 public middle schools	22.9%	34	72.0	15.1	18.8	24.8		18.6	36.0	$20,802	$1,543	$19,259
Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School	Public	6-8	1600 Tallassee Rd	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-7208	707	62	11.4	100.0%	110 (15.6%)	275 (38.9%)	289 (40.9%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.1%)	39.3	329^th of 578 public middle schools	43.1%		47.7	281^st of 585 public middle schools	52.0%	48	90.2	30.3	42.4	44.4		30.3	30.7	$19,221	$1,393	$17,828
Oconee County Middle School	Public	6-8	1101 Mars Hill Rd	Watkinsville	30677	Oconee County	Oconee County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 769-3575	940	58	16.2	18.3%	755 (80.3%)	35 (3.7%)	74 (7.9%)	35 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.4%)	84.6	71^st of 578 public middle schools	87.7%		94.1	39^th of 585 public middle schools	93.3%	32	100.0	69.2	70.1	71.0		69.1	64.1	$10,990	$370	$10,620
Malcom Bridge Middle School	Public	6-8	2500 Malcom Bridge Rd	Bogart	30622	Oconee County	Oconee County	No	No	No	No	(706) 310-1992	548	40	13.7	17.2%	380 (69.3%)	18 (3.3%)	58 (10.6%)	69 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.0%)	89.7	45^th of 578 public middle schools	92.2%		97.2	19^th of 585 public middle schools	96.8%	26	100.0	76.0	75.5	78.4		79.5	71.4	$13,618	$222	$13,396
Coile Middle School	Public	6-8	110 Old Elberton Rd	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5318	582	55	10.5	100.0%	30 (5.2%)	232 (39.9%)	302 (51.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.7%)	11.6	534^th of 578 public middle schools	7.6%		15.1	515^th of 585 public middle schools	12.0%	19	40.8	15.2	24.2	12.1		9.2	10.8	$20,057	$1,978	$18,079
Bear Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	228 Jefferson St	Statham	30666	Barrow County	Barrow County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 867-2116	752	59	12.8	57.7%	344 (45.7%)	115 (15.3%)	217 (28.9%)	25 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (6.6%)	36.9	347^th of 578 public middle schools	40.0%		41.8	325^th of 585 public middle schools	44.4%	22	77.3	34.0	42.7	30.2	15.0	24.9	61.1	$13,768	$822	$12,945
Dove Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	7915 Hog Mountain Rd	Statham	30666	Barrow County	Oconee County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(706) 310-2017	528	34	15.6	9.8%	431 (81.6%)	16 (3.0%)	22 (4.2%)	36 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.4%)	92	33^rd of 578 public middle schools	94.3%		97.6	16^th of 585 public middle schools	97.3%	17	100.0	75.4	78.1	89.7		82.2	77.9	$12,633	$112	$12,521
East Jackson Middle School	Public	6-8	1880 Hoods Mill Rd	Commerce	30529	Jackson County	Jackson County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 335-2083	536	38	13.9	68.8%	355 (66.2%)	34 (6.3%)	114 (21.3%)	9 (1.7%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	56.9	225^th of 578 public middle schools	61.1%		59	212^th of 585 public middle schools	63.8%	13	100.0	45.7	51.0	48.3		37.2	53.6	$14,564	$668	$13,897
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Dragon Dr	Jefferson	30549	Jackson County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(706) 367-2882	1,009	67	15.1	30.0%	778 (77.1%)	72 (7.1%)	84 (8.3%)	22 (2.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (5.2%)	85.6	66^th of 578 public middle schools	88.6%		96.1	22^nd of 585 public middle schools	96.2%	44		72.7	78.5	76.9		62.6	65.8	$11,192	$165	$11,028

Frequently Asked Questions about Clarke Middle School

Is Clarke Middle School a good school?

Clarke Middle School ranks 327^th of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Clarke Middle School in?

Clarke County

How many students attend Clarke Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 718 students attended Clarke Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Clarke Middle School attend?

Students who attend Clarke Middle School usually go on to attend Clarke Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Clarke Middle School?

Students at Clarke Middle School are 45% African American, 35% White, 13% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.