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Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School

Q: Is Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School a good school?

Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School ranks 329 th of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

329^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 43% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Athens, GA, serves approximately 707 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Clarke County School District, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has shown steady improvement over the past decade, moving from the 24th to the 43rd percentile statewide, and currently holds a 2-star rating after achieving 3 stars the previous year.

The most remarkable strength at Burney-Harris-Lyons is its Algebra I program. In the most recent testing year, 90.2% of students scored proficient or above—nearly double the state average of 48.1% and far above the district average of 36.9%. This isn't a one-time fluke; the school has maintained proficiency rates of 94-95% for three consecutive years. This performance outpaces every other middle school in the district, including Clarke Middle School (89.4%), Coile Middle School (40.8%), and Hilsman Middle School (72%). However, in standard grade-level math courses (6th-8th grade), proficiency rates are more modest at 30-44%, suggesting the school has built an exceptionally effective accelerated math pathway for advanced students.

Compared to its Clarke County peers, Burney-Harris-Lyons performs well—ranking 329th statewide versus Coile's 534th and Hilsman's 485th, with notably higher math scores across all three grade levels. The school also keeps chronic absenteeism (21.8%) below the district average (26.8%) for five straight years. However, when compared to nearby schools in neighboring districts like Oconee County—where Dove Creek Middle School and Malcom Bridge Middle School post math proficiency rates of 75-90% and absenteeism below 7%—the achievement gap is significant. The school spends $19,221 per student, roughly 70% more than those higher-performing schools, though this spending aligns with other Clarke County schools and reflects the greater needs of its student population. Subgroup performance varies: White students rank in the 74th percentile statewide, African American students in the 53rd, but Special Education students rank in just the 27th percentile.

707

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,221

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 Tallassee Rd
Athens, GA 30606

(706) 548-7208

District: Clarke County

Students who attend Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School usually attend:

High:

Clarke Central High School

Feeder schools for Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School:

Elementary:	Cleveland Road Elementary School
	Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School
	Whitehead Road Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.9%

African American:

38.9%

White:

15.6%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School to nearby middle schools!

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.

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (39% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!HS Physical Science scores 30 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg29%

Georgia avg45%

329^th of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle 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	39.3	329 of 578	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.7	281 of 585	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.3	343 of 578	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.4	306 of 569	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.7	315 of 558	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.3	393 of 542	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	390 of 559	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.1	389 of 543	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	32.2	377 of 539	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	25.7	414 of 545	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.0	394 of 537	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	42.2	364 of 521	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.8	399 of 527	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	38.5	375 of 508	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.7	398 of 504	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.6	406 of 494	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	21.3	414 of 466	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.6	409 of 462	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.9	376 of 445	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.2	380 of 420	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	224 of 480	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.2	246 of 494	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.9	306 of 489	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	304 of 485	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	242 of 482	49.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	39.6	84 of 166	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.5	109 of 199	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	159 of 200	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.0	104 of 166	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	86 of 157	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	306 of 550	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	314 of 567	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	383 of 558	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.4	328 of 553	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	327 of 544	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	254 of 374	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.7	244 of 400	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	249 of 381	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.4	162 of 380	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.8	213 of 367	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	34.9	348 of 550	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.0	305 of 569	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	344 of 561	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.4	319 of 559	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	348 of 553	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.6	310 of 425	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.9	267 of 442	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.6	217 of 437	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.9	158 of 429	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.4	254 of 431	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	71.0	104 of 404	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	82.6	60 of 415	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.5	119 of 417	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.8	83 of 429	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	47.7	209 of 425	50.8%	★★★☆☆

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)74th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2026)53rd percentile+10 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)49th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile~ school

Male (2026)37th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)32nd percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I90%+42 vs state

Mathematics39%-4 vs state

HS Physical Science31%-30 vs state

Social Studies30%-10 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 20, 2020

I hate this school. It lacks self motivation and support for students of Hispanic race. This year 2019-2020 was the worse for my kid. The 8th grade teachers are mean and they grade really hard. My son didnt get the support and the credit he sure deserves. Awards are given at the end and some of the awards are not even mentioned at the beginning. So parents are not equally informed of awards like Carson Eve , presendential , principal, PBS awards. It is so confusing how our kids supposed to get this awards if we don't know anything about them. The principal does acknowledge good kids and when you see her she doesn't acknowledge parents. I m so glad my son is leaving this but I hope things change when my daughter starts 6th grade. I m very concern how she is to be treated academically. Close Quote

Schools Near Burney-Harris-Lyons 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	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
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
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
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
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%)	36.8	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
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
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
Dove Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	7915 Hog Mountain Rd	Statham	30666	Oconee 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
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
East Jackson Middle School	Public	6-7	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 Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School?

Students at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School are 41% Hispanic, 39% African American, 16% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School attend?

Students who attend Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School usually go on to attend Clarke Central High School

What district is Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in?

Clarke County

How many students attend Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 707 students attended Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School.

Is Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School a good school?

Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School ranks 329^th of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle 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.