Winterville Elementary School

Winterville Elementary School in Winterville, GA, serves approximately 343 students in grades PK-5 within the Clarke County School District, and it has shown meaningful improvement over the past decade, climbing from the bottom 15% of Georgia schools to the 31st percentile in 2025-2026.

One of the school's clearest strengths is attendance. Winterville's chronic absenteeism rate of 18.5% is well below the district average of 26.8% and nearly matches the state rate of 17.7%. This is a significant improvement from 28.1% just a few years ago, and it's much better than nearby Gaines Elementary (29.4%) and Howard B. Stroud Elementary (30.1%). In 3rd grade math, Winterville also stands out, with a 47.6% proficiency rate that beats the district (44.7%) and nearly matches the state (48.3%)—a notable achievement for a school where 93.6% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $24,243 per pupil with a favorable 9.2:1 student-teacher ratio.

However, the school faces a clear challenge as students move into upper grades. While 3rd grade math is a strength, 5th grade math proficiency drops to just 23.8%, and 5th grade science falls to 19.1%—far below the state average of 44.2%. This "grade-level slide" is much steeper than what's typical statewide, and it's especially striking when compared to Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary, a similar school in the same district where 5th graders achieve 58.8% math proficiency and 60.3% in science. Even Colbert Elementary and Hull-Sanford Elementary in neighboring Madison County—serving similar or higher poverty levels—outperform Winterville across nearly every subject while spending less per student. The good news is that Winterville's early-grade success and improving attendance show the school can achieve strong results; the path forward likely lies in understanding what higher-performing peer schools do differently to sustain that success through 5th grade.