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Clay County Elementary

Q: Is Clay County Elementary a good school?

Clay County Elementary ranks 779 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

779^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Clay County Elementary in Fort Gaines, GA, serves approximately 143 students in grades PK-5 and is part of the Clay County district. This small, rural school has become a standout turnaround story, climbing from the bottom 2% of Georgia elementary schools in 2017-2018 to the 36th percentile in 2025-2026 — a remarkable gain of roughly 400 positions in seven years.

The school's most impressive achievement is its dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, which dropped from 36.5% in 2021-2022 to just 8.9% in 2025-2026. That rate is now nearly half the state average (17.7%) and far better than nearby Calhoun County Elementary School (20.3%), Early County Elementary School (19.0%), and Randolph County Elementary School (13.6%). Clay County also leads the region in 3rd grade math, with 57.1% of students scoring proficient or above — well above the state average of 48.3% and more than double the rates at Early County (27.2%) and Randolph County (26.3%). The school invests heavily in its students, spending $32,172 per student — the highest in the area and roughly double Early County's spending — while maintaining a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 8.9:1.

However, the school shows a clear pattern of declining proficiency as students advance. While 3rd grade math excels, 4th grade math (40.9%) and 5th grade math (20.9%) fall below state averages, and 5th grade science (20.9%) lags behind Calhoun County Elementary School's 51.7%. With only 143 students, small class sizes create year-to-year variability, making it hard to spot true trends. Still, Clay County's combination of intensive investment, small classes, and focused attendance efforts offers a compelling model for how high-poverty rural schools can achieve meaningful gains.

143

Students ?

8.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,172

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Hobbs Ln
Fort Gaines, GA 39851

(229) 768-2234

District: Clay County

Students who attend Clay County Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Clay County Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.8%

White:

2.8%

Two or more races:

1.4%

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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.

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2015 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 32 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (34% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Science scores 23 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg34%

Georgia avg47%

779^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 28 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

134^th of 201Clay 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	33.1	779 of 1219	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.5	865 of 1238	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.1	935 of 1236	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	825 of 1223	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.6	985 of 1220	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.7	1169 of 1234	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.7	1190 of 1209	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.6	1149 of 1205	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.8	1132 of 1233	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.2	1185 of 1240	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	30.3	974 of 1231	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.4	921 of 1225	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.6	881 of 1201	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	44.6	793 of 1212	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.8	780 of 1183	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	36.7	816 of 1133	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.1	982 of 1134	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.3	1022 of 1125	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.8	1072 of 1101	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	49.3	370 of 828	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.9	442 of 892	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.3	521 of 879	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	392 of 870	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.7	526 of 876	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)55th percentile+19 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics39%-9 vs state

Science21%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clay County Elementary

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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 Mathematics (2026)						Milestones Assessment Science (2026)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clay County Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Hobbs Ln	Fort Gaines	39851	Clay County	Clay County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 768-2234	143	16	8.9	100.0%	4 (2.8%)	137 (95.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	33.1	779^th of 1219 public elementary schools	36.1%		28.5	865^th of 1238 public elementary schools	30.1%	86	57.1	40.9	20.9				20.9			$32,172	$7,059	$25,114
Early County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	283 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd	Blakely	39823	Early County	Early County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 723-4101	758	69	11.0	100.0%	91 (12.0%)	623 (82.2%)	16 (2.1%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.4%)	18.9	1010^th of 1219 public elementary schools	17.1%		17.5	1041^st of 1238 public elementary schools	15.9%	31	27.2	26.8	20.9	6.3			37.2			$15,945	$2,255	$13,691
Randolph County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	214 Highland Ave	Cuthbert	39840	Randolph County	Randolph County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 732-3794	294	18	16.8	100.0%	5 (1.7%)	276 (93.9%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.4%)	27.8	864^th of 1219 public elementary schools	29.1%		35	753^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	39.2%	111	26.3	57.1	17.2				28.6			$20,867	$2,179	$18,688
Quitman County Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	173 Kaigler Rd	Georgetown	39854	Quitman County	Quitman County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 334-4298	200	17	12.1	100.0%	37 (18.5%)	148 (74.0%)	4 (2.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.5%)	10.7	1147^th of 1219 public elementary schools	5.9%		9.4	1194^th of 1238 public elementary schools	3.6%	47	17.6	16.0	23.5	6.3	19.0	26.6	23.5	26.7	6.7	$23,217	$5,060	$18,157
Calhoun County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	133 Cougar Lane	Edison	39846	Calhoun County	Calhoun County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 545-7232	207	20	10.5	100.0%	3 (1.4%)	189 (91.3%)	14 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	40.8	662^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	45.7%		30.9	819^th of 1238 public elementary schools	33.8%	157	37.0	33.3	31.0				51.7			$20,166	$3,302	$16,865

Frequently Asked Questions about Clay County Elementary

What district is Clay County Elementary in?

Clay County

How many students attend Clay County Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 143 students attended Clay County Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Clay County Elementary?

Students at Clay County Elementary are 96% African American, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Clay County Elementary attend?

Students who attend Clay County Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Clay County Middle School

Is Clay County Elementary a good school?

Clay County Elementary ranks 779^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Clay County Elementary!

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Schools in Fort Gaines, GA

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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.