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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.

Dowell Elementary School

Q: Is Dowell Elementary School a good school?

Dowell Elementary School ranks 762 nd of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

762^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Dowell Elementary School in Marietta, GA, serves approximately 898 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Cobb County School District, where 87.4% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Dowell has made remarkable progress in getting kids to school. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 22.5% in 2021-2022 to just 10.6% today—a 53% reduction that puts the school below both the district average (14.2%) and state average (17.7%). This is a genuine strength, especially when compared to nearby schools like Birney Elementary School (17.4%) and Sanders Elementary School (20.8%). In math, Dowell showed meaningful improvement in 4th grade, jumping from 27.5% to 40.2% proficiency, though scores still trail district averages. Science proficiency (31.8% for 5th graders) remains below the district rate of 47.1%. The school spends $17,363 per student, which is less than several schools serving similar populations, such as Milford Elementary School ($22,204) and Hollydale Elementary School ($22,472).

Looking at student groups, Dowell shows relative strength with White students (66th percentile), African American students (58th percentile), and Special Education students (51st percentile). However, Hispanic students rank in the 11th percentile and English Language Learners rank in the 1st percentile statewide—a significant equity challenge. Just 1.5 miles away, Cheatham Hill Elementary School serves a more affluent population (41.5% free/reduced lunch) and achieves a 77th percentile ranking with 62.2% 5th-grade math proficiency. Dowell's overall ranking has fluctuated between the 38th and 60th percentiles over the past decade, currently sitting at 38th with a 2-star rating. The school's strong attendance gains and early-grade math performance suggest a foundation for future improvement, but targeted support for ELL and Hispanic students will be critical.

898

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,363

Per pupil spending ?

87.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2121 W Sandtown Rd SW
Marietta, GA 30064

(678) 594-8059

District: Cobb County

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.2%

African American:

34.5%

White:

14.1%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Dowell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (36% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg53%

Georgia avg47%

762^nd of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

48^th of 64Elementary Schools in the Cobb County

58^th of 202Cobb 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	34.6	762 of 1222	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.4	698 of 1238	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	742 of 1236	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.9	668 of 1223	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	617 of 1220	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.2	687 of 1214	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	639 of 1234	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.9	601 of 1209	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.5	476 of 1205	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	41.7	690 of 1233	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.4	549 of 1240	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.2	598 of 1231	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.8	674 of 1225	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.3	622 of 1201	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.0	715 of 1212	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.8	569 of 1183	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.0	621 of 1133	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	40.9	754 of 1134	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	58.5	521 of 1125	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.0	566 of 1101	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	351 of 829	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.7	331 of 892	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.3	314 of 879	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	272 of 870	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.2	159 of 876	81.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	213 of 215	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.5	269 of 317	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.6	174 of 304	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	188 of 286	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	155 of 283	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	823 of 1189	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.0	707 of 1224	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.7	847 of 1223	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	766 of 1212	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	659 of 1206	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	446 of 504	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.2	408 of 583	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.6	455 of 565	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	402 of 535	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	418 of 516	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	690 of 1186	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	689 of 1225	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	610 of 1220	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	566 of 1210	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.8	577 of 1209	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	227 of 466	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.5	399 of 565	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.2	172 of 455	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.0	215 of 415	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	238 of 703	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	345 of 769	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.0	459 of 772	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.4	368 of 775	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.0	258 of 779	66.9%	★★★☆☆

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)66th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2026)58th percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2026)51st percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)31st percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile-26 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics38%-10 vs state

Science32%-12 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 16, 2023

This school is unfairly ranked! My daughter attended this school for 6 years and the teachers, administrators and leadership at this school were always amazing. They didn’t just teach my daughter but they made an impact on her life. And you can say I was just lucky but then my middle daughter went into Dowell and her experience was amazing and even through COVID they made her feel so loved. I would to go to war for this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Dowell 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
Dowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2121 W Sandtown Rd SW	Marietta	30064	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 594-8059	898	75	12.0	87.4%	127 (14.1%)	310 (34.5%)	379 (42.2%)	31 (3.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (5.5%)	34.6	762^nd of 1222 public elementary schools	37.6%		39.4	698^th of 1238 public elementary schools	43.6%	64	39.0	40.2	34.4	31.8	$17,363	$757	$16,606
Cheatham Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 John Ward Rd SW	Marietta	30064	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8034	1,021	77	13.3	41.5%	394 (38.6%)	258 (25.3%)	283 (27.7%)	31 (3.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.2%)	74.3	281^st of 1222 public elementary schools	77.0%		70.2	326^th of 1238 public elementary schools	73.7%	45	49.7	64.1	62.2	54.5	$16,170	$317	$15,853
Hollydale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2901 Bay Berry Dr SW	Marietta	30008	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 594-8143	526	59	8.8	100.0%	47 (8.9%)	123 (23.4%)	321 (61.0%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.8%)	17.6	1037^th of 1222 public elementary schools	15.1%		25	929^th of 1238 public elementary schools	25.0%	108	27.0	32.1	23.3	21.5	$22,472	$846	$21,626
Still Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	870 Casteel Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8287	755	62	12.1	32.2%	330 (43.7%)	209 (27.7%)	122 (16.2%)	29 (3.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (8.5%)	73.9	284^th of 1222 public elementary schools	76.8%		70.8	321^st of 1238 public elementary schools	74.1%	37	64.7	63.8	56.9	44.6	$17,191	$390	$16,800
Milford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2390 Austell Rd SW	Marietta	30008	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-6966	389	41	9.6	99.0%	17 (4.4%)	116 (29.8%)	240 (61.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	40.1	671^st of 1222 public elementary schools	45.1%		30.1	833^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	32.7%	162	52.9	51.8	26.6	20.0	$22,204	$832	$21,372
Miles Ahead Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	4665 Macland Road	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	State Specialty Schools II- Miles Ahead Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(770) 313-4841	261	23	11.6	46.0%	18 (6.9%)	218 (83.5%)	20 (7.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	19.6	1001^st of 1222 public elementary schools	18.1%		36.5	729^th of 1238 public elementary schools	41.1%	272	34.2	30.8	19.0	19.0	$16,834	$729	$16,104
Compton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3450 New Macland Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 222-3700	593	60	9.8	100.0%	42 (7.1%)	295 (49.7%)	231 (39.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.2%)	14.9	1082^nd of 1222 public elementary schools	11.5%		22.5	967^th of 1238 public elementary schools	21.9%	115	25.0	28.9	24.7	14.5	$20,218	$977	$19,241
Varner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4761 Gaydon Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 222-3775	705	57	12.4	60.7%	93 (13.2%)	368 (52.2%)	157 (22.3%)	19 (2.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (9.4%)	47.6	581^st of 1222 public elementary schools	52.5%		45.8	617^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.2%	36	44.6	49.6	41.6	36.0	$18,612	$716	$17,896
Birney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	775 Smyrna Powder Springs Rd	Marietta	30060	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-6824	725	67	10.8	100.0%	20 (2.8%)	296 (40.8%)	351 (48.4%)	15 (2.1%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.0%)	30.9	821^st of 1222 public elementary schools	32.8%		33.7	781^st of 1238 public elementary schools	36.9%	40	28.7	44.1	40.2	22.7	$20,706	$875	$19,832
Sanders Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1550 Anderson Mill Rd	Austell	30106	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 819-2568	626	54	11.5	100.0%	24 (3.8%)	353 (56.4%)	220 (35.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	34.7	760^th of 1222 public elementary schools	37.8%		36.4	733^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	40.8%	27	35.0	29.1	41.7	37.0	$20,076	$909	$19,168

Frequently Asked Questions about Dowell Elementary School

What district is Dowell Elementary School in?

Cobb County

Is Dowell Elementary School a good school?

Dowell Elementary School ranks 762^nd of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dowell Elementary School?

Students at Dowell Elementary School are 42% Hispanic, 35% African American, 14% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Dowell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 898 students attended Dowell Elementary School.

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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.