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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 Central High School

Q: Is Clarke Central High School a good school?

Clarke Central High School ranks 262 nd of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

262^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 455 Georgia High Schools

Better than 42% of Georgia high schools

Summary

Clarke Central High School in Athens, GA, is a large comprehensive high school serving 1,907 students in grades 9-12, located near the University of Georgia campus in a community where 82.5% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Clarke Central has several notable strengths. The school's Biology proficiency rate of 40.4% in 2025-2026 exceeds the district average of 36.6% and has consistently outperformed its district peers for four straight years. Graduation rates have also improved steadily, rising from 80.1% in 2022-2023 to 84.1% in 2024-2025, while dropout rates have fallen from 4.1% to 2.4%—now matching the state average. The school invests heavily in its students, spending $17,068 per pupil, which is significantly more than nearby Oglethorpe County High School ($11,943) or Jefferson High School ($11,677), and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.8:1.

However, the school faces significant challenges. Algebra I proficiency has dropped sharply from 39.5% in 2023-2024 to just 23.1% in 2025-2026, well below both the district (36.9%) and state (48.1%) averages. Chronic absenteeism remains a critical barrier, with 38.2% of students chronically absent—more than double the state average of 17.7% and higher than the Clarke County district rate of 26.8%. This pattern mirrors Cedar Shoals High School, which shows a 42.8% chronic absenteeism rate, suggesting a systemic issue across Athens-area schools. While Clarke Central's overall state ranking improved from 208th in 2015-2016 to a peak of 187th in 2023-2024, the recent Algebra I decline has dropped the school to 262nd place. The contrast with nearby North Oconee High School and Oconee County High School—both ranking in the 95th-96th percentiles—highlights the profound impact of socioeconomic factors, as those schools serve far lower poverty populations (15% free/reduced lunch) compared to Clarke Central's 82.5%.

1,907

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,068

Per pupil spending ?

82.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

350 S Milledge Ave
Athens, GA 30605

(706) 357-5200

District: Clarke County

Feeder schools for Clarke Central High School:

Elementary:	Barrow Elementary School
	Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School
	Cleveland Road Elementary School
	Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
	More...
	Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School
	Timothy Elementary School
	Whitehead Road Elementary School
Middle:	Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School
	Clarke Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

39.2%

Hispanic:

27.4%

White:

26.3%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare Clarke Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (34% vs 45% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 18% Georgia)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg36%

Georgia avg45%

262^nd of 455

Georgia public high schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Clarke County

137^th of 201Clarke 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	34.1	262 of 455	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	204 of 451	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.0	186 of 454	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.2	209 of 448	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.8	237 of 431	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.4	198 of 410	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.0	250 of 438	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	234 of 428	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.4	244 of 420	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.3	208 of 426	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	31.0	288 of 435	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.3	262 of 425	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.7	297 of 425	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.6	319 of 396	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.3	304 of 402	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.4	272 of 384	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.9	279 of 372	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	42.2	238 of 370	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.2	249 of 358	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	30.5	266 of 335	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	32.4	229 of 376	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.8	218 of 391	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.9	189 of 382	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.0	214 of 384	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.7	255 of 372	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	125 of 173	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.7	67 of 180	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	53 of 159	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.4	81 of 141	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	68.2	16 of 102	84.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	303 of 431	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.0	209 of 438	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	175 of 435	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	191 of 433	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.0	239 of 430	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	217 of 298	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.6	195 of 312	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	139 of 315	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.8	189 of 308	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	157 of 295	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	227 of 436	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.2	192 of 442	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	183 of 436	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.0	220 of 436	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.6	231 of 427	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	91 of 123	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.2	80 of 149	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	85 of 158	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	106 of 141	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	103 of 126	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	45.1	163 of 338	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.8	113 of 347	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.6	73 of 344	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	42.4	167 of 343	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	105 of 331	68.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	80 of 334	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	79.9	46 of 341	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	53 of 346	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	80.9	42 of 343	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.7	78 of 339	77.0%	★★★★☆

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)76th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)48th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)39th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)30th percentile-13 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)28th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)26th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Biology40%-7 vs state

United States History34%-5 vs state

Algebra I23%-25 vs state

2.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, September 5, 2012

I graduated from CCHS in 1983. It's sad to see the decline. The only stat I see trending up is free or discounted food. Obviously the cafeteria needs to serve more "smart food" like fish. Unless I'm missing something, it looks like the more free or discounted food you eat, the dumber you get and, in turn, drag down the school... Someone help me understand what happened to my old school. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, October 22, 2010

the students in the honors classes ( Math, History, Science, Latin, Modern languages,English...) have an outstanding education. The classes are rather small and are attended by students who want to learn. Despite our children having attended private schools almost exclusively from grade 1-9 , Clarke Central has challenged our children to excel in academics , sports, and community life.

The honors classes do demand more work and dilligence on the students and this is why the classes are smaller. The students who do not want to be challenged invariably avoid honors classes. Close Quote

Schools Near Clarke Central High 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 Biology (2026)	Milestones Assessment United States History (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	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 Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clarke Central High School	Public	9-12	350 S Milledge Ave	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5200	1,907	120	15.8	82.5%	502 (26.3%)	748 (39.2%)	523 (27.4%)	34 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	94 (4.9%)	34.1	262^nd of 455 public high schools	42.4%		44.3	204^th of 451 public high schools	54.8%	58	23.1	40.4	33.8	$17,068	$1,332	$15,736
Classic City High School	Public	9-12	440 Dearing Ext	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 353-2323	58	7	8.2	82.8%	0 (0.0%)	54 (93.1%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.2%)	4.8	442^nd of 455 public high schools	2.9%		4	447^th of 451 public high schools	0.9%	5	0.0	0.0	8.6
Foothills Regional High School	Public	9-12	2415 Jefferson Rd Ste B	Athens	30607	Clarke County	State Specialty Schools I- Foothills Regional High School	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 795-2191	1,475	29	51.5	73.4%	574 (38.9%)	589 (39.9%)	204 (13.8%)	13 (0.9%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	92 (6.2%)	17.7	369^th of 455 public high schools	18.9%		30.5	291^st of 451 public high schools	35.5%	78	21.7	24.2	20.4	$15,437	$1,117	$14,320
Cedar Shoals High School	Public	9-12	1300 Cedar Shoals Dr	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 546-5375	1,489	110	13.5	100.0%	190 (12.8%)	706 (47.4%)	515 (34.6%)	20 (1.3%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (3.8%)	30.5	282^nd of 455 public high schools	38.0%		19.7	358^th of 451 public high schools	20.6%	76	24.5	34.1	35.1	$19,146	$1,731	$17,416
Oconee County High School	Public	9-12	2721 Hog Mountain Rd	Watkinsville	30677	Oconee County	Oconee County	No	No	No	No	(706) 769-6655	1,313	84	15.6	15.7%	1,054 (80.3%)	59 (4.5%)	91 (6.9%)	55 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (3.9%)	86.7	19^th of 455 public high schools	95.8%		90	21^st of 451 public high schools	95.3%	2	88.4	72.3	57.3	$11,884	$233	$11,651
North Oconee High School	Public	9-12	1081 Rocky Branch Rd	Bogart	30622	Oconee County	Oconee County	No	No	No	No	(706) 769-7760	1,432	85	16.8	15.0%	1,080 (75.4%)	45 (3.1%)	120 (8.4%)	115 (8.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	69 (4.8%)	86.5	21^st of 455 public high schools	95.4%		92.4	15^th of 451 public high schools	96.7%	6	79.6	72.2	75.2	$11,494	$185	$11,309
East Jackson Comprehensive High School	Public	8-12	1435 Hoods Mill Rd	Commerce	30529	Jackson County	Jackson County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 336-8900	1,395	90	15.4	61.1%	885 (63.4%)	92 (6.6%)	324 (23.2%)	23 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (5.0%)	48.9	171^st of 455 public high schools	62.4%		49.3	172^nd of 451 public high schools	61.9%	1	40.8	48.3	40.0	$14,235	$488	$13,747
Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy	Public	9-12	1007 Austin Rd	Winder	30680	Barrow County	Barrow County	No	No	No	No	(678) 425-2903	967	59	16.3	47.1%	521 (53.9%)	115 (11.9%)	222 (23.0%)	54 (5.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (5.4%)	81.1	37^th of 455 public high schools	91.9%		86.2	28^th of 451 public high schools	93.8%	9	67.5	71.8	65.9	$12,392	$404	$11,988
Madison County High School	Public	9-12	600 Madison St	Danielsville	30633	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	No	(706) 795-2197	1,525	95	16.1	82.6%	962 (63.1%)	186 (12.2%)	241 (15.8%)	53 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (5.4%)	40.6	219^th of 455 public high schools	51.9%		45.6	193^rd of 451 public high schools	57.2%	26	31.9	48.9	31.9	$12,507	$206	$12,302
Oglethorpe County High School	Public	9-12	749 Athens Rd	Lexington	30648	Oglethorpe County	Oglethorpe County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 743-8124	690	43	16.1	79.0%	417 (60.4%)	127 (18.4%)	101 (14.6%)	17 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.9%)	34.9	256^th of 455 public high schools	43.7%		41.9	215^th of 451 public high schools	52.3%	41	38.7	35.7	34.4	$11,943	$613	$11,329

Frequently Asked Questions about Clarke Central High School

What schools feed into Clarke Central High School?

Clarke Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Barrow Elementary School
Elementary : Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School
Elementary : Cleveland Road Elementary School
Elementary : Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
Elementary : Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School
Elementary : Timothy Elementary School
Elementary : Whitehead Road Elementary School
Middle : Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School
Middle : Clarke Middle School

Is Clarke Central High School a good school?

Clarke Central High School ranks 262^nd of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Clarke Central High School in?

Clarke County

How many students attend Clarke Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,907 students attended Clarke Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Clarke Central High School?

Students at Clarke Central High School are 39% African American, 27% Hispanic, 26% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Clarke Central High School!

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)NewAug 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.