Cook County Middle School

Cook County Middle School is a public middle school in Sparks, Georgia, serving 666 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Cook County School District, which is ranked 90 out of 206 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Cook County Middle School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, it has consistently underperformed compared to state averages in most subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) for grades 6-8 ranged from 28.9% to 35.3%, while the state averages were 41.3% to 39.8%. Similarly, in Mathematics, the school's proficiency rates for grades 6-8 ranged from 35.4% to 53.4%, compared to the state averages of 37.3% to 47%. This consistent underperformance in test scores indicates a need for targeted interventions and support to improve student achievement.

Another key factor is the high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Cook County Middle School, ranging from 66.67% to 70.12% in recent years. This suggests a higher proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds compared to the nearby Lowndes County schools, such as Pine Grove Middle School and Hahira Middle School, which have consistently outperformed Cook County Middle School in test scores and have higher state rankings. While Cook County Middle School has seen an increase in per-student spending, from $7,825 in 2016-2017 to $8,803 in 2018-2019, this spending level is still lower than the nearby Lowndes County schools, which spent $8,461 and $7,597 per student in 2018-2019.