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Gaines Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1213^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,238 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Gaines Elementary School is a public elementary school in Athens, Georgia, serving 545 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Clarke County School District, which is ranked 150 out of 206 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gaines Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Georgia elementary schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 1,080 and 1,213 out of around 1,200-1,250 schools. The school's academic performance is significantly lower than nearby schools, even within the same district. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 8% of 3rd graders, 11.7% of 4th graders, and 3.5% of 5th graders at Gaines Elementary were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 26.6%, 28.1%, and 28.2% for Clarke County, respectively.

Additionally, Gaines Elementary has extremely high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, reaching 100% in the 2023-2024 school year. This is significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 64.81% to 98.21% free/reduced lunch. The school's low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 9.6 to 10.9 students per teacher, combined with its high spending per student, may indicate a need to evaluate the allocation of resources and staffing to better support student learning.

568

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,170

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

900 Gaines School Rd
Athens, GA 30605

(706) 357-5333

District: Clarke County

Students who attend Gaines Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hilsman Middle School
High:	Cedar Shoals High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

68.0%

Hispanic:

19.4%

White:

6.3%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Gaines Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (11% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 20% Georgia)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg31%

Georgia avg42%

1,213^th of 1,238

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Clarke County

150^th of 206Clarke 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
2025	6.9	1213 of 1238	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	1205 of 1248	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	1210 of 1242	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	1192 of 1244	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.1	1174 of 1214	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.1	1213 of 1234	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.6	1137 of 1209	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.5	1101 of 1205	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	14.5	1080 of 1233	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.4	1163 of 1240	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.8	1173 of 1231	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.0	1137 of 1225	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.3	1092 of 1201	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	16.2	1089 of 1212	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.9	995 of 1183	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	8.1	1092 of 1133	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.3	1094 of 1134	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.6	1095 of 1125	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics15%-30 vs state

English Language Arts8%-31 vs state

Science7%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gaines Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)			Milestones Assessment Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gaines Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Gaines School Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5333	568	50	11.3	100.0%	36 (6.3%)	386 (68.0%)	110 (19.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	6.9	1213^th of 1238 public elementary schools	2.0%		9	1205^th of 1248 public elementary schools	3.4%	8	8.0	11.7	3.5	13.3	23.4	9.3	7.0	$22,170	$1,726	$20,444
Barnett Shoals Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3220 Barnett Shoals Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5334	490	50	9.7	100.0%	131 (26.7%)	248 (50.6%)	54 (11.0%)	10 (2.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.8%)	48.1	590^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.3%		44.6	631^st of 1248 public elementary schools	49.4%	41	31.0	39.1	33.3	43.7	49.3	37.0	38.9	$22,785	$1,382	$21,403
Whit Davis Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1450 Whit Davis Rd	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 369-1036	395	37	10.6	96.7%	84 (21.3%)	180 (45.6%)	89 (22.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.4%)	31.8	810^th of 1238 public elementary schools	34.6%		26	914^th of 1248 public elementary schools	26.8%	104	34.8	19.6	24.3	37.0	41.1	30.0	31.4	$21,663	$1,331	$20,332
Barrow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Pinecrest Dr	Athens	30605	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 543-2676	456	42	10.8	77.4%	177 (38.8%)	180 (39.5%)	38 (8.3%)	36 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.5%)	57.2	475^th of 1238 public elementary schools	61.6%		61.8	437^th of 1248 public elementary schools	65.0%	38	45.6	39.7	43.3	42.1	53.4	39.4	42.4	$22,187	$1,221	$20,966
Howard B. Stroud Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	715 Fourth St	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 369-1893	350	42	8.3	100.0%	13 (3.7%)	257 (73.4%)	63 (18.0%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.1%)	6.4	1223^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	1.2%		8.1	1220^th of 1248 public elementary schools	2.2%	3	8.9	10.4	6.4	15.6	12.5	10.6	8.5	$29,249	$1,662	$27,587
Winterville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 Cherokee Rd	Winterville	30683	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5222	343	37	9.2	93.6%	66 (19.2%)	139 (40.5%)	122 (35.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.8%)	23.4	955^th of 1238 public elementary schools	22.9%		32.1	807^th of 1248 public elementary schools	35.3%	148	23.4	21.3	23.2	31.9	21.3	23.2	33.9	$24,243	$1,255	$22,988
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	757 N Chase St	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 543-1081	492	44	11.1	74.4%	214 (43.5%)	189 (38.4%)	56 (11.4%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.5%)	77	257^th of 1238 public elementary schools	79.2%		76.5	273^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	78.1%	16	57.4	53.9	59.1	60.3	53.9	45.5	53.8	$21,739	$1,207	$20,533
Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Alps Rd	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 548-2261	322	38	8.4	100.0%	12 (3.7%)	243 (75.5%)	36 (11.2%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.1%)	10.2	1180^th of 1238 public elementary schools	4.7%		6.6	1233^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	1.2%	53	9.3	12.8	2.6	32.6	20.5	5.1	5.1	$26,519	$1,784	$24,735
Fowler Drive Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Fowler Dr	Athens	30601	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 357-5330	366	43	8.5	100.0%	28 (7.7%)	143 (39.1%)	176 (48.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	24.1	940^th of 1238 public elementary schools	24.1%		23.4	955^th of 1248 public elementary schools	23.5%	15	20.4	17.9	21.2	49.0	34.3	25.0	7.7	$25,789	$1,782	$24,007
Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Oglethorpe Ave	Athens	30606	Clarke County	Clarke County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 549-0762	563	56	10.1	100.0%	114 (20.2%)	182 (32.3%)	222 (39.4%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.4%)	24.2	937^th of 1238 public elementary schools	24.3%		30.3	849^th of 1248 public elementary schools	32.0%	88	15.6	24.3	29.1	27.8	37.1	31.4	20.9	$22,691	$1,439	$21,252

Frequently Asked Questions about Gaines Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Gaines Elementary School?

Students at Gaines Elementary School are 68% African American, 19% Hispanic, 6% White, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Gaines Elementary School in?

Clarke County

Is Gaines Elementary School a good school?

Gaines Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.0% of Georgia elementary schools.

How many students attend Gaines Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 568 students attended Gaines Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Gaines Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Gaines Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hilsman Middle School
High : Cedar Shoals High School

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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.