Crisp County Elementary School

Crisp County Elementary School in Cordele, GA, serves 439 students in grades 4-5 and is part of the Crisp County district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most encouraging news for parents is the school's dramatic progress on attendance. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 36.5% in 2021-2022 to 18.2% in 2025-2026—a 50% reduction that now nearly matches the state average. This improvement outpaces the district's own progress, suggesting school-specific efforts are working. Academically, test scores remain below state averages, but there are signs of stability. In 4th grade math, proficiency reached 27.2% in the most recent year—the strongest result in four years—and this actually exceeds Turner County Elementary School's 22.4% and roughly matches Dooly County Elementary School's 26.8%. Science is a relative strength, with 5th graders achieving at 49% of the state average, compared to 41-46% in math. However, Turner County Elementary School significantly outperforms in 5th grade science (31.8% vs. 21.8%), pointing to a possible area for collaboration.

One concern is that students may lose ground as they advance. Crisp County Primary School (grades K-3) shows 30.5% proficiency in 3rd grade math, which is higher than what Crisp County Elementary achieves in 4th (27.2%) and 5th grade (20.5%). The school also spends $17,769 per student—higher than all nearby schools—with a favorable 10.7:1 student-teacher ratio, yet outcomes remain flat despite a 41% spending increase over four years. This suggests resources may be going toward the successful attendance interventions rather than instructional gains. With attendance now stabilizing, the coming years will be critical to see if this investment translates into stronger academics.