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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.

William M. McGarrah Elementary School

Q: Is William M. McGarrah Elementary School a good school?

William M. McGarrah Elementary School ranks 750 th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

750^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

William M. McGarrah Elementary School in Morrow, GA, serves approximately 658 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Clayton County School District, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

McGarrah Elementary is a school on the rise. After ranking in the 19th-20th percentile statewide from 2021-2023, the school jumped to the 39th percentile in 2025-2026—its best performance in nearly a decade and a 20-point gain in just three years. This improvement earned the school its first 2-star rating since 2020-2021. The gains are especially visible in math, where proficiency rates in 2025-2026 reached 36.5% in 3rd grade, 39.6% in 4th grade, and 38.9% in 5th grade—all well above district averages, with 5th grade math jumping 12.6 points in a single year. Science is also emerging as a strength, with 5th grade proficiency more than doubling from 14.6% in 2023-2024 to 31.4% in 2025-2026, now exceeding the district average by 5.1 points. The school also stands out for its African American students, who ranked in the 49th percentile statewide—the school's strongest subgroup performance.

Compared to nearby schools, McGarrah is clearly separating itself from the pack. Among eight nearby Clayton County elementary schools, McGarrah's 39th percentile ranking is second only to Morrow Elementary (44th percentile), and it far outpaces Tara Elementary (12th), James Jackson Elementary (16th), and Haynie Elementary (13th). McGarrah even outperforms Morrow in 5th grade math (38.9% vs. 34.3%). While chronic absenteeism at 24.1% remains above the state average, it has improved steadily from 29.9% in 2021-2022 and is better than the district's 28.0% rate. With a favorable 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $15,696, McGarrah is achieving strong outcomes efficiently—a model of turnaround worth watching.

658

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,696

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2201 Lake Harbin Rd
Morrow, GA 30260

(770) 968-2910

District: Clayton County

Students who attend William M. McGarrah Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

Morrow Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

60.9%

Hispanic:

22.2%

Asian:

10.3%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare William M. McGarrah Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 18th percentile in 2023 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 39th (2026) from a 18th-percentile low (2023)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Clayton County

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (37% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Science scores 13 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg28%

Georgia avg47%

750^th of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 37Elementary Schools in the Clayton County

164^th of 202Clayton 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	35.2	750 of 1222	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.3	903 of 1238	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	970 of 1236	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	1002 of 1223	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	986 of 1220	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.6	849 of 1214	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.6	779 of 1234	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.5	662 of 1209	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.1	727 of 1205	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.7	660 of 1233	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.8	782 of 1240	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.3	709 of 1231	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.1	792 of 1225	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	26.8	979 of 1201	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.7	848 of 1212	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.3	774 of 1183	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	26.1	940 of 1133	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.4	890 of 1134	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	24.2	938 of 1125	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	23.6	928 of 1101	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	423 of 829	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.1	505 of 892	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.6	650 of 879	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.6	737 of 870	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	701 of 876	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	99 of 317	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	105 of 304	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	85 of 283	70.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	705 of 1189	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.3	916 of 1224	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	874 of 1223	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	894 of 1212	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	932 of 1206	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	39.4	299 of 504	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.1	481 of 583	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	493 of 565	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	491 of 535	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	413 of 516	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	33.6	778 of 1186	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.0	871 of 1225	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	1014 of 1220	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	1035 of 1210	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	995 of 1209	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)69th percentile+42 vs school

African American (2026)49th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)41st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)41st percentile~ school

Male (2026)34th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics38%-9 vs state

Science31%-13 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, January 13, 2020

This school have the best staff ever,the teachers care for the students, they communicate with the parents,my daughter's second grade teacher, ms Noble share helpful tutotial videos,to help the students with homework at home,she call to update on your child progress,or where they need help.My oldest daughter graduates here last here from 5th grades,with honors,she is very smart,but I'm thankful for the teachers that help her stay focused. Big thanks to Ms Downs,Mr Ables,Coach Pickering,Ms Perkins,Dr Buskey,Ms Maxon,Ms Midget, Ms Wilson,Ms Sweeney, Mr Scales,and all of other great teacher at Mc Garrah.I appreciate that the staff always stands outside early in the morning to get kids out of the car riders lane,even in the rain,freezing cold,they are outside, Mr Able,Mr pickering,and all others,thank you,you guys are THE BEST. Close Quote

Schools Near William M. McGarrah Elementary 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 Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment 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 (2025)	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 Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
William M. McGarrah Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2201 Lake Harbin Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2910	658	46	14.3	100.0%	15 (2.3%)	401 (60.9%)	146 (22.2%)	68 (10.3%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.6%)	35.2	750^th of 1222 public elementary schools	38.6%		26.3	903^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	27.1%	153	36.5	39.6	38.9	31.4	$15,696	$1,490	$14,205
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5885 Maddox Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 675-8019	801	55	14.5	100.0%	13 (1.6%)	544 (67.9%)	151 (18.9%)	69 (8.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	22 (2.7%)	19.5	1004^th of 1222 public elementary schools	17.8%		16.2	1067^th of 1238 public elementary schools	13.8%	63	28.6	18.8	20.6	35.3	$15,336	$1,591	$13,745
Morrow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6115 Reynolds Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2900	406	34	11.9	100.0%	9 (2.2%)	175 (43.1%)	144 (35.5%)	62 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.9%)	39.2	681^st of 1222 public elementary schools	44.3%		23.2	959^th of 1238 public elementary schools	22.5%	278	46.4	42.0	34.3	32.8	$18,931	$1,638	$17,294
Roberta T. Smith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6340 Highway 42	Rex	30273	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 960-5750	720	55	13.0	100.0%	10 (1.4%)	475 (66.0%)	190 (26.4%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.0%)	29.9	837^th of 1222 public elementary schools	31.5%		14.6	1100^th of 1238 public elementary schools	11.1%	263	37.2	44.9	22.9	29.5	$16,553	$1,746	$14,808
Haynie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1169 Morrow Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2905	767	58	13.2	100.0%	11 (1.4%)	285 (37.2%)	407 (53.1%)	44 (5.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.1%)	15.6	1068^th of 1222 public elementary schools	12.6%		22.6	965^th of 1238 public elementary schools	22.1%	103	29.5	26.0	20.7	20.7	$16,686	$1,736	$14,949
Sankofa Montessori	Public, Charter	K-4	5881 Phillips Drive	Forest Park	30297	Clayton County	State Specialty Schools II- Sankofa Montessori	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(470) 713-8930	144	10	14.4	89.6%	8 (5.6%)	100 (69.4%)	24 (16.7%)	2 (1.4%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.3%)								(n/a)	23.5				$17,817	$1,867	$15,951
Mount Zion Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	2920 Mount Zion Rd	Jonesboro	30236	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 473-2700	620	44	14.0	100.0%	5 (0.8%)	447 (72.1%)	130 (21.0%)	8 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.5%)								(n/a)					$16,904	$1,861	$15,043
Mount Zion Elementary School	Public	3-5	2984 Mount Zion Rd	Jonesboro	30236	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2935	491	33	14.8	100.0%	3 (0.6%)	334 (68.0%)	131 (26.7%)	10 (2.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.2%)	9.5	1162^nd of 1222 public elementary schools	4.9%		14.9	1096^th of 1238 public elementary schools	11.5%	66	18.6	21.6	12.4	19.9	$15,991	$1,606	$14,385
Utopian Academy for the Arts Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-5	2750 Forest Pkwy	Ellenwood	30294	DeKalb County	Clayton County	Yes	No	No	Yes	(470) 446-1070	317	19	16.6	90.9%	2 (0.6%)	273 (86.1%)	19 (6.0%)	7 (2.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.4%)	10.5	1153^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	5.6%		12.9	1135^th of 1238 public elementary schools	8.3%	18	23.9	20.4	17.7	15.6	$37,621	$138	$37,483
Tara Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	937 Mount Zion Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2915	570	46	12.3	100.0%	11 (1.9%)	329 (57.7%)	210 (36.8%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.3%)	15.4	1075^th of 1222 public elementary schools	12.0%		14.7	1098^th of 1238 public elementary schools	11.3%	23	32.5	29.0	14.3	17.9	$16,807	$2,067	$14,740

Frequently Asked Questions about William M. McGarrah Elementary School

What district is William M. McGarrah Elementary School in?

Clayton County

Is William M. McGarrah Elementary School a good school?

William M. McGarrah Elementary School ranks 750^th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend William M. McGarrah Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 658 students attended William M. McGarrah Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of William M. McGarrah Elementary School attend?

Students who attend William M. McGarrah Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Morrow Middle School

What is the racial makeup of William M. McGarrah Elementary School?

Students at William M. McGarrah Elementary School are 61% African American, 22% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026

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