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Dalton Junior High School

Q: Is Dalton Junior High School a good school?

Dalton Junior High School ranks 323 rd of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 8

323^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 44% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Dalton Junior High School in Dalton, GA, is a single-grade middle school serving 517 eighth-grade students within the Dalton Public Schools district. The school has earned a consistent 2-star rating over the past four years, with its state ranking improving to the 44th percentile this year—its best showing in that span.

The standout story here is Algebra I. An extraordinary 98.6% of students scored proficient or better on the End of Course assessment—more than double the district average (50.7%) and far above the state average (48.1%). This continues a remarkable trend, following a 100% proficiency rate the prior year. The school has clearly built a highly effective accelerated math program that prepares nearly all its eighth graders for high school-level coursework. This achievement is even more impressive when compared to nearby schools like Heritage Middle School (91.3%) and Ringgold Middle School (100%), which serve more affluent populations. The school also shows strong results for its African American students, who rank in the 65th percentile statewide—the highest subgroup rating at the school.

However, the picture is mixed. While math excels, only 12.2% of students scored proficient in Science and 26.7% in Social Studies—both well below state averages. The school invests heavily in its students, spending $16,959 per pupil (the highest in the region) and maintaining a favorable 9.9:1 student-teacher ratio. Chronic absenteeism has also dropped dramatically, from 27.2% to 16.0% over four years—now below the state average. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with 72% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, a significant improvement from 94% the prior year. While the school's overall performance remains modest, the exceptional math results, strong subgroup outcomes, and improving attendance suggest a school actively working to change its trajectory.

517

Students ?

9.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,959

Per pupil spending ?

72%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1250 Cross Plains Trail
Dalton, GA 30721

(706) 876-4650

District: Dalton Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.1%

White:

19.5%

African American:

4.6%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Dalton Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

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.

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2023 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2023

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (36% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Science scores 18 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg38%

Georgia avg44%

323^rd of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 8 pts since 2023

From bottom 36% (2023) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

114^th of 201Dalton Public Schools 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	40.2	323 of 578	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	304 of 585	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	380 of 578	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	362 of 569	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	55.3	167 of 480	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	198 of 494	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	189 of 489	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.4	114 of 485	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	19.2	426 of 482	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	62.8	35 of 95	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	9.7	85 of 89	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	36.1	98 of 166	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.7	150 of 199	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	157 of 200	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	159 of 166	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	132 of 157	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	336 of 550	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.4	255 of 567	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.2	388 of 558	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	310 of 553	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.0	354 of 544	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	232 of 374	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.3	227 of 400	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	284 of 381	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	278 of 380	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	296 of 367	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	303 of 550	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.9	329 of 569	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	347 of 561	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	365 of 559	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	333 of 553	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	32.6	108 of 157	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	103 of 159	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	237 of 425	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.7	178 of 442	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.5	227 of 437	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	207 of 429	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.0	349 of 431	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	41.6	239 of 404	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.9	165 of 415	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	193 of 417	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	240 of 429	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.6	204 of 425	52.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)65th percentile+21 vs school

Asian (2023)63rd percentile+27 vs school

Male (2026)45th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)44th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)41st percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile-6 vs school

Migrant (2023)31st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I99%+51 vs state

HS Physical Science66%+5 vs state

Mathematics49%+3 vs state

Social Studies27%-14 vs state

Science12%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dalton Junior High 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 Algebra I (2026)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2026)	Milestones Assessment HS Physical 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	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 Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dalton Junior High School	Public	8	1250 Cross Plains Trail	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 876-4650	517	52	9.9	72.0%	101 (19.5%)	24 (4.6%)	373 (72.1%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.1%)	40.2	323^rd of 578 public middle schools	44.1%		44.1	304^th of 585 public middle schools	48.0%	19	98.6			49.4	12.2	26.7	65.7	$16,959	$803	$16,156
Hammond Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	330 Pleasant Grove Dr. NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 876-4660	1,057	87	12.0	72.8%	199 (18.8%)	49 (4.6%)	761 (72.0%)	27 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (1.8%)								(n/a)		50.1	47.8					$15,204	$540	$14,664
Eastbrook Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Hill Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 278-6135	624	47	13.1	100.0%	127 (20.4%)	5 (0.8%)	469 (75.2%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	31.4	391^st of 578 public middle schools	32.4%		26.8	427^th of 585 public middle schools	27.0%	36		27.5	33.5	28.6	26.0	11.0		$12,687	$642	$12,045
North Whitfield Middle School	Public	6-8	350 Trailblazer Lane	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 259-3381	731	55	13.2	89.7%	427 (58.4%)	17 (2.3%)	248 (33.9%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (4.2%)	51.4	254^th of 578 public middle schools	56.1%		47.2	284^th of 585 public middle schools	51.5%	30		37.6	40.6	50.7	27.9	27.8		$13,177	$736	$12,442
Westside Middle School	Public	6-8	580 Lafayette Rd. SW	Rocky Face	30740	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 673-2611	428	30	14.0	84.8%	327 (76.4%)	8 (1.9%)	66 (15.4%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	79.2	101^st of 578 public middle schools	82.5%		72.5	141^st of 585 public middle schools	75.9%	40		52.0	48.6	66.0	51.4	47.2		$13,083	$557	$12,526
New Hope Middle School	Public	6-8	1111 New Hope Rd NW	Dalton	30720	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 673-2295	454	35	12.8	86.6%	212 (46.7%)	10 (2.2%)	210 (46.3%)	7 (1.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.6%)	67	166^th of 578 public middle schools	71.3%		79.8	104^th of 585 public middle schools	82.2%	62		36.6	49.4	55.0	47.5	37.8		$14,222	$809	$13,413
Bagley Middle School	Public	7-8	4600 Highway 225 N	Chatsworth	30705	Murray County	Murray County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 695-1115	457	31	14.6	95.8%	337 (73.7%)	4 (0.9%)	109 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	52.3	253^rd of 578 public middle schools	56.2%		61.2	195^th of 585 public middle schools	66.7%	58	100.0	34.8	39.7	41.6	32.1	38.0		$14,166	$848	$13,318
Valley Point Middle School	Public	6-8	3796 S Dixie Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 277-9662	377	32	11.7	98.1%	174 (46.2%)	5 (1.3%)	187 (49.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	40.8	321^st of 578 public middle schools	44.5%		50.9	260^th of 585 public middle schools	55.6%	61		30.7	42.0	37.6	26.5	19.8		$15,553	$835	$14,718
Gladden Middle School	Public	7-8	700 Old Dalton Ellijay Rd	Chatsworth	30705	Murray County	Murray County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 695-7448	478	32	14.7	100.0%	309 (64.6%)	6 (1.3%)	148 (31.0%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	43.3	304^th of 578 public middle schools	47.4%		48	278^th of 585 public middle schools	52.5%	26	100.0	29.3	40.4	37.4	28.5	26.7		$12,598	$771	$11,827
Ringgold Middle School	Public	6-8	217 Tiger Trl	Ringgold	30736	Catoosa County	Catoosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 935-3381	725	62	11.6	49.8%	619 (85.4%)	24 (3.3%)	42 (5.8%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.1%)	83.7	78^th of 578 public middle schools	86.5%		71.6	144^th of 585 public middle schools	75.4%	66	100.0	64.4	56.8	64.9	50.4	45.5		$14,475	$522	$13,952

Frequently Asked Questions about Dalton Junior High School

What is the racial makeup of Dalton Junior High School?

Students at Dalton Junior High School are 72% Hispanic, 20% White, 5% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Dalton Junior High School a good school?

Dalton Junior High School ranks 323^rd of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Dalton Junior High School in?

Dalton Public Schools

How many students attend Dalton Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 517 students attended Dalton Junior High School.

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

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