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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.

Nicholson Elementary School

Q: Is Nicholson Elementary School a good school?

Nicholson Elementary School ranks 292 nd of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

292^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Nicholson Elementary School in Marietta, GA, serves approximately 413 students in Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Cobb County School District, and has earned a consistent 4-star rating while ranking in the upper quartile of Georgia elementary schools.

Nicholson stands out most for its impressive 5th grade performance in the most recent testing cycle. In 2025-2026, 66.1% of 5th graders were proficient in math—well above the district average of 52.8% and the state average of 44.1%—and 70.9% were proficient in science, a remarkable 23.8 percentage points above the district average. This represents a dramatic improvement from the prior year, with math proficiency jumping 20 points, the largest year-over-year gain among nearby schools. The school has also maintained a 10+ point advantage over the district in 5th grade science for four consecutive years. While Murdock Elementary and Davis Elementary rank higher overall, Nicholson outperforms its closest geographic neighbor, Keheley Elementary, in both 5th grade science (70.9% vs. 44.7%) and math (66.1% vs. 60.7%).

Beyond academics, Nicholson shows strength in attendance and classroom resources. Chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 24.0% in 2021-2022 to just 9.2% in 2025-2026—well below the district rate of 14.2% and the state rate of 17.7%. The school also maintains an excellent student-teacher ratio of 10.7:1 and spends approximately $20,075 per student, higher than most nearby schools. With nearly 45% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, Nicholson serves a more economically diverse population than top-ranked neighbors like Rocky Mount Elementary (16.8%) or Davis (12.8%), yet still achieves strong results. The school's recent momentum—combining strong attendance, favorable class sizes, and significant academic gains—suggests a positive trajectory, though families may notice some variability in performance across grade levels and subjects.

413

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,075

Per pupil spending ?

44.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1599 Shallowford Rd
Marietta, GA 30066

(770) 928-5573

District: Cobb County

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

McCleskey Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.6%

Hispanic:

24.7%

African American:

11.9%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Nicholson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 78th percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Georgia average (59% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Georgia elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg53%

Georgia avg47%

292^nd of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^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	73.2	292 of 1222	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	67.4	359 of 1238	71.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.1	331 of 1236	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.3	297 of 1223	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	75.3	284 of 1220	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	67.0	357 of 1214	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	65.2	389 of 1234	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.1	307 of 1209	74.6%	★★★★☆
2017	73.8	270 of 1205	77.6%	★★★★☆
2016	74.3	276 of 1233	77.6%	★★★★☆
2015	75.7	256 of 1240	79.4%	★★★★☆
2014	77.9	234 of 1231	81.0%	★★★★☆
2013	83.2	115 of 1225	90.6%	★★★★★
2012	81.2	169 of 1201	85.9%	★★★★☆
2011	84.9	101 of 1212	91.7%	★★★★★
2010	79.3	199 of 1183	83.2%	★★★★☆
2009	84.5	111 of 1133	90.2%	★★★★★
2008	85.7	97 of 1134	91.4%	★★★★★
2007	83.1	127 of 1125	88.7%	★★★★☆
2006	79.6	162 of 1101	85.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	72.0	283 of 1189	76.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.5	353 of 1224	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	348 of 1223	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	66.0	372 of 1212	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.6	322 of 1206	73.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	196 of 583	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	235 of 565	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	167 of 535	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	148 of 516	71.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	72.3	288 of 1186	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	67.0	347 of 1225	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.9	300 of 1220	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	77.4	250 of 1210	79.3%	★★★★☆
2022	77.3	256 of 1209	78.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	104 of 565	81.6%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	100 of 487	79.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	61.9	263 of 703	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.8	327 of 769	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.2	274 of 772	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.9	272 of 775	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	317 of 779	59.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)82nd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)76th percentile~ school

Male (2026)76th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)66th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)63rd percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science71%+27 vs state

Mathematics55%+8 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 17, 2016

We love Nicholson! My daughter has been there now for 3 years and we couldn't be happier. The staff is amazing and supportive of the students and parents. The starbucks incentive program to help kids become "star" students is great. (STAR- Safe, Trustworthy Accountable and Respectful) This school is diverse and on the smaller side for our area, and that's another reason to love it. We couldn't be happier! Nicholson stars really do shine bright! Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, September 23, 2016

Very poor. Oh my, staff is rude. No value in parent relationships. And if you work for a living and can't volunteer for every event then don't expect any courteous interactions for you or your child during their school day. Such a bad experience that I pulled my kids out to homeschool them..And boy they are learning so much more, having more academic success, not to mention they are much much happier NOT being enrolled at Nicholson elementary school!! Close Quote

Schools Near Nicholson 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
Nicholson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1599 Shallowford Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 928-5573	413	39	10.7	44.6%	209 (50.6%)	49 (11.9%)	102 (24.7%)	8 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (10.4%)	73.2	292^nd of 1222 public elementary schools	76.1%		67.4	359^th of 1238 public elementary schools	71.0%	67	49.2	50.6	66.1	70.9	$20,075	$319	$19,756
Keheley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1985 Kemp Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7836	393	38	10.3	37.2%	236 (60.1%)	39 (9.9%)	65 (16.5%)	12 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (10.4%)	73.3	290^th of 1222 public elementary schools	76.3%		63.6	398^th of 1238 public elementary schools	67.9%	108	60.7	61.2	60.7	44.7	$20,881	$327	$20,554
Rocky Mount Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 Rocky Mountain Rd NE	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 591-5050	576	44	13.1	16.8%	369 (64.1%)	60 (10.4%)	51 (8.9%)	44 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (8.7%)	89.2	138^th of 1222 public elementary schools	88.7%		85.7	179^th of 1238 public elementary schools	85.5%	41	82.5	71.9	65.0	60.1	$16,959	$385	$16,573
Blackwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3470 Canton Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7600	580	48	12.1	53.6%	247 (42.6%)	90 (15.5%)	147 (25.3%)	37 (6.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.5%)	46.9	593^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	51.5%		54.4	507^th of 1238 public elementary schools	59.0%	86	56.0	49.0	44.1	20.5	$18,036	$316	$17,719
Addison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3055 Ebenezer Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 578-2700	571	48	11.8	33.6%	280 (49.0%)	75 (13.1%)	116 (20.3%)	38 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (10.7%)	87.8	150^th of 1222 public elementary schools	87.7%		85.8	173^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	86.0%	23	60.6	63.4	76.1	85.9	$17,832	$321	$17,512
Davis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2433 Jamerson Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7636	635	44	14.4	12.8%	404 (63.6%)	49 (7.7%)	62 (9.8%)	67 (10.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.2%)	94.4	82^nd of 1222 public elementary schools	93.3%		86.3	169^th of 1238 public elementary schools	86.3%	87	79.8	80.6	77.1	67.2	$15,523	$326	$15,197
Mountain View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3151 Sandy Plains Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 578-7265	837	63	13.2	18.6%	441 (52.7%)	59 (7.0%)	115 (13.7%)	167 (20.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (6.5%)	94.2	84^th of 1222 public elementary schools	93.1%		96.6	52^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	95.8%	32	67.2	82.7	81.7	78.6	$16,133	$319	$15,813
Chalker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	325 N Booth Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7621	679	56	12.2	47.6%	290 (42.7%)	167 (24.6%)	133 (19.6%)	27 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (9.1%)	55.7	486^th of 1222 public elementary schools	60.2%		52.7	527^th of 1238 public elementary schools	57.4%	41	48.9	45.0	44.8	49.5	$17,570	$317	$17,253
Bells Ferry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Bells Ferry Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8950	704	51	13.7	61.5%	150 (21.3%)	278 (39.5%)	144 (20.5%)	67 (9.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (8.9%)	43.4	637^th of 1222 public elementary schools	47.9%		45.4	622^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	49.8%	15	36.6	50.4	41.3	35.0	$16,682	$318	$16,364
Kincaid Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1410 Kincaid Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 578-7238	603	46	13.1	28.7%	311 (51.6%)	71 (11.8%)	111 (18.4%)	54 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	53 (8.8%)	83.8	188^th of 1222 public elementary schools	84.6%		85.8	174^th of 1238 public elementary schools	85.9%	14	74.8	74.0	66.4	48.7	$17,494	$319	$17,175

Frequently Asked Questions about Nicholson Elementary School

What district is Nicholson Elementary School in?

Cobb County

Is Nicholson Elementary School a good school?

Nicholson Elementary School ranks 292^nd of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Nicholson Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : McCleskey Middle School

How many students attend Nicholson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Nicholson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Nicholson Elementary School?

Students at Nicholson Elementary School are 51% White, 25% Hispanic, 12% African American, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Nicholson 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.