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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.

The Dalton Academy

Public Grades 9-12

380^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 455 Georgia High Schools

Better than 16% of Georgia high schools

Summary

The Dalton Academy is a public high school in Dalton, GA, serving 469 students in grades 9–12 within the Dalton Public Schools district.

The Dalton Academy stands out for its small size and intensive resources—it spends $19,102 per student and maintains a 9.2:1 student-teacher ratio, far lower than nearby traditional high schools like Northwest Whitfield County High School (13.6:1) or Dalton High School (16.1:1). However, academic outcomes have not yet caught up with this investment. The school holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom 16% of Georgia high schools. Test scores trail district and state averages significantly—for example, only 31.4% of students are proficient in Algebra I (compared to 50.7% districtwide) and 22.5% in Biology (state: 47.2%). The school's graduation rate of 76.1% is well below the district's 83.5% and far behind Coahulla Creek High School (95.6%) and Ringgold High School (94.9%).

There are encouraging signs of progress. Chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 41.7% to 25.7% over two years, though it remains more than double the district average (12.5%) and higher than every traditional high school in the region. Algebra I proficiency has improved nearly fivefold since 2023–2024, and the dropout rate fell to 2.3%—now below the state average. The school's profile—smaller enrollment, higher per-student spending, and elevated absenteeism—suggests it may serve a distinct mission, possibly as an alternative or second-chance high school, similar to Phoenix High School or Pleasant Valley Innovative School. The most significant challenge remains supporting English Language Learners, who rank in the bottom 2% statewide. With 58.4% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school is working to stabilize a high-need population, and recent improvements suggest its approach may be gaining traction—though there is still substantial ground to cover to reach district and state averages.

469

Students ?

9.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,102

Per pupil spending ?

58.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1250 Cross Plains Trai1
Dalton, GA 30721

(706) 876-4700

District: Dalton Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.5%

White:

9.4%

African American:

3.4%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare The Dalton Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2023 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2023

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (23% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Georgia average (76% vs 87%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg41%

Georgia avg45%

380^th of 455

Georgia public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 9 pts since 2023

From bottom 7% (2023) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Dalton Public Schools

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	16.7	380 of 455	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	378 of 451	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	382 of 454	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	416 of 448	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	13.0	169 of 173	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.9	175 of 180	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	148 of 159	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	86 of 141	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.3	88 of 102	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	374 of 431	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	364 of 438	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	383 of 435	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	397 of 433	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	399 of 430	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	17.1	263 of 298	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.7	286 of 312	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	296 of 315	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	302 of 308	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.8	290 of 295	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	357 of 436	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	391 of 442	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	359 of 436	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.3	417 of 436	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	398 of 427	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	282 of 338	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.5	133 of 347	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.8	195 of 344	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.1	263 of 343	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	225 of 331	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	1.2	340 of 343	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.6	331 of 339	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)18th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)17th percentile~ school

Female (2026)13th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)2nd percentile-14 vs school

White (2023)1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I31%-17 vs state

Biology22%-25 vs state

United States History16%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near The Dalton Academy

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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 Biology (2026)	Milestones Assessment United States History (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 Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
The Dalton Academy	Public	9-12	1250 Cross Plains Trai1	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 876-4700	469	51	9.2	58.4%	44 (9.4%)	16 (3.4%)	387 (82.5%)	7 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	16.7	380^th of 455 public high schools	16.5%		16.4	378^th of 451 public high schools	16.2%	2	31.4	22.5	15.8	$19,102	$945	$18,157
Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center	Public	5-12	2735 Underwood Rd NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 272-2309	9	3	3.0	33.3%	3 (33.3%)	3 (33.3%)	2 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)								(n/a)
Phoenix High School	Public	9-12	2300 Maddox Chapel Rd NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 876-3600	141	10	13.9	100.0%	83 (58.9%)	5 (3.5%)	47 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	5.4	437^th of 455 public high schools	4.0%		3.8	448^th of 451 public high schools	0.7%	11		4.0	6.7
Dalton High School	Public	9-12	1500 Manly St	Dalton	30720	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 278-8757	1,919	113	16.9	62.5%	345 (18.0%)	91 (4.7%)	1,387 (72.3%)	54 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	39 (2.0%)	44.4	196^th of 455 public high schools	56.9%		41.1	223^rd of 451 public high schools	50.6%	27	47.6	45.6	31.5	$12,396	$415	$11,981
Southeast Whitfield County High School	Public	9-12	1954 Riverbend Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 226-2753	1,453	88	16.4	94.9%	363 (25.0%)	16 (1.1%)	1,042 (71.7%)	4 (0.3%)	6 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (1.5%)	39.3	226^th of 455 public high schools	50.3%		29.9	299^th of 451 public high schools	33.7%	73	30.8	35.3	46.8	$12,214	$578	$11,635
Northwest Whitfield County High School	Public	9-12	1651 Tunnel Hill Varnell Rd	Tunnel Hill	30755	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	No	(706) 673-6533	1,098	74	14.8	71.4%	629 (57.3%)	17 (1.5%)	393 (35.8%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	47 (4.3%)	53.9	142^nd of 455 public high schools	68.8%		51.5	160^th of 451 public high schools	64.5%	18	55.6	52.9	36.3	$13,590	$501	$13,090
North Murray High School	Public	9-12	2662 Mount Carmel Church Rd	Chatsworth	30705	Murray County	Murray County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 695-7760	961	64	14.9	83.4%	689 (71.7%)	6 (0.6%)	255 (26.5%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.7%)	44.3	197^th of 455 public high schools	56.7%		41.2	222^nd of 451 public high schools	50.8%	25	51.6	36.8	39.0	$12,976	$512	$12,465
Coahulla Creek High School	Public	9-12	3361 Crow Rd NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	No	(706) 694-4900	1,041	57	18.2	79.3%	574 (55.1%)	18 (1.7%)	395 (37.9%)	8 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.0%)	36.1	249^th of 455 public high schools	45.3%		41.7	216^th of 451 public high schools	52.1%	33	37.8	35.6	36.1	$12,280	$536	$11,744
Murray County High School	Public	9-12	1001 Green Rd	Chatsworth	30705	Murray County	Murray County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 695-1414	1,068	65	16.4	93.2%	700 (65.5%)	7 (0.7%)	348 (32.6%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.7%)	31.5	277^th of 455 public high schools	39.1%		44.1	208^th of 451 public high schools	53.9%	69	32.7	34.8	29.9	$11,525	$408	$11,117
Pleasant Valley Innovative School	Public	6-12	273 Harris Street	Eton	30724	Murray County	Murray County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 517-5355	64	10	6.5	100.0%	42 (65.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (29.7%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.1%)	5.3	439^th of 455 public high schools	3.5%		4.2	444^th of 451 public high schools	1.6%	5	4.0	0.0	8.5

Frequently Asked Questions about The Dalton Academy

What district is The Dalton Academy in?

Dalton Public Schools

Is The Dalton Academy a good school?

The Dalton Academy ranks in the bottom 16.5% of Georgia high schools.

How many students attend The Dalton Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 469 students attended The Dalton Academy.

What is the racial makeup of The Dalton Academy?

Students at The Dalton Academy are 83% Hispanic, 9% White, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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Schools in Dalton, GA

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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.