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Hightower Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1037^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Hightower Elementary School in Doraville, GA, serves approximately 604 students in grades PK–5 as part of DeKalb County Schools, and it currently ranks in the bottom 15% of Georgia elementary schools.

Hightower faces significant academic challenges, with math proficiency rates in 2025–2026 ranging from 17.7% (5th grade) to 33.3% (4th grade). These numbers are dramatically lower than those at nearby schools like Vanderlyn Elementary School (where 5th grade math proficiency is 81.5%) or Montgomery Elementary School. However, there are encouraging signs. The school has shown meaningful improvement in early-grade math—3rd grade proficiency jumped from 11.8% in 2023–2024 to 32.3% in 2025–2026. Additionally, Hightower’s chronic absenteeism rate has been cut in half over four years, dropping from 31.3% to 15.3%, which is now better than the state average (17.7%) and far better than nearby Huntley Hills Elementary School (28.1%). The school also appears to serve its English Language Learner population relatively well, with that subgroup ranking higher than the school’s overall performance.

One notable pattern is a 5th grade drop-off: proficiency declines sharply from 3rd/4th grade to 5th grade, a trend also seen at other lower-performing schools in the area like Pleasantdale Elementary School and Cary Reynolds Elementary School. Hightower spends $19,101 per student—more than Dunwoody Elementary School ($18,133)—and has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.3:1. While the school remains well below district and state averages, the combination of improved attendance, early-grade gains, and strong ELL support suggests a foundation for continued growth, even as it works to close a wide gap with higher-performing schools just a few miles away.

604

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,101

Per pupil spending ?

88.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4236 Tilly Mill Rd
Doraville, GA 30360

(678) 676-7302

District: DeKalb County

Students who attend Hightower Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Peachtree Middle School
High:	Dunwoody High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.7%

African American:

3.3%

Asian:

3.1%

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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.

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2016 → 15th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (25% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Science scores 28 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg34%

Georgia avg47%

1,037^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

44^th of 81Elementary Schools in the DeKalb County

136^th of 201DeKalb 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	17.6	1037 of 1219	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	1019 of 1238	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	1180 of 1236	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	1099 of 1223	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	1088 of 1220	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	1108 of 1214	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	1057 of 1234	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.1	1045 of 1209	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.7	1035 of 1205	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.9	1027 of 1233	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.5	1000 of 1240	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.1	975 of 1231	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.7	984 of 1225	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.2	882 of 1201	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.0	941 of 1212	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	46.7	743 of 1183	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.1	750 of 1133	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	33.3	854 of 1134	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.2	903 of 1125	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	11.1	1031 of 1101	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.3	161 of 214	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.6	214 of 317	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.4	290 of 304	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	237 of 286	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	248 of 283	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	981 of 1186	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	1055 of 1224	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	1174 of 1223	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	1104 of 1212	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	1112 of 1206	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	18.7	447 of 503	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.3	508 of 583	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	554 of 565	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	509 of 535	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	497 of 516	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	19.5	979 of 1183	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.9	936 of 1225	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	1153 of 1220	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	1089 of 1210	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	1044 of 1209	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2024	34.7	294 of 487	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.3	381 of 415	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)40th percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)25th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile~ school

Male (2026)17th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)11th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics28%-19 vs state

Science17%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hightower 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	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
Hightower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4236 Tilly Mill Rd	Doraville	30360	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-7302	604	49	12.3	88.6%	5 (0.8%)	20 (3.3%)	554 (91.7%)	19 (3.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	17.6	1037^th of 1219 public elementary schools	14.9%		18.5	1019^th of 1238 public elementary schools	17.7%	18	32.3	33.3	17.7	16.7	$19,101	$1,962	$17,139
Chesnut Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4576 N Peachtree Rd	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-7102	551	43	12.8	51.7%	131 (23.8%)	179 (32.5%)	165 (29.9%)	36 (6.5%)	6 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (5.8%)	49.1	554^th of 1219 public elementary schools	54.6%		68.2	346^th of 1238 public elementary schools	72.1%	208	59.0	42.5	34.2	39.5	$19,949	$1,738	$18,211
Huntley Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2112 Seaman Cir	Chamblee	30341	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-7402	507	41	12.3	80.5%	86 (17.0%)	103 (20.3%)	240 (47.3%)	47 (9.3%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	23 (4.5%)	23.5	938^th of 1219 public elementary schools	23.1%		38.9	702^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	43.3%	236	27.1	42.4	26.6	20.7	$21,190	$1,846	$19,344
Doraville United Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3630 Shallowford Rd NE	Atlanta	30340	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 202-0093	1,003	69	14.5	99.6%	8 (0.8%)	36 (3.6%)	927 (92.4%)	15 (1.5%)	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	8.2	1173^rd of 1219 public elementary schools	3.8%		9.6	1188^th of 1238 public elementary schools	4.0%	15	16.1	21.5	15.8	12.6	$17,565	$1,818	$15,746
Oakcliff Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3151 Willow Oak Way	Doraville	30340	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-3102	621	46	13.5	100.0%	4 (0.6%)	23 (3.7%)	551 (88.7%)	41 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36.3	730^th of 1219 public elementary schools	40.1%		26.3	904^th of 1238 public elementary schools	27.0%	174	36.8	38.1	41.1	34.3	$17,964	$2,024	$15,940
Dunwoody Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1923 Womack Rd	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 875-4002	790	56	14.1	22.4%	253 (32.0%)	184 (23.3%)	84 (10.6%)	221 (28.0%)	9 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.9%)	83.4	195^th of 1219 public elementary schools	84.0%		89.1	135^th of 1238 public elementary schools	89.1%	60	70.0	78.3	52.4	53.6	$18,133	$1,847	$16,286
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2051 Brendon Dr	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-8902	386	35	11.0	69.4%	79 (20.5%)	32 (8.3%)	243 (63.0%)	14 (3.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.9%)	39.4	676^th of 1219 public elementary schools	44.5%		41.1	675^th of 1238 public elementary schools	45.5%	1	52.1	46.7	28.3	23.9	$22,432	$1,679	$20,753
Cary Reynolds Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1663 East Nancy Creek Drive	Atlanta	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-6802	267	27	9.8	86.9%	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	239 (89.5%)	11 (4.1%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	15.5	1069^th of 1219 public elementary schools	12.3%		15.2	1086^th of 1238 public elementary schools	12.3%	17	30.4	25.4	17.5	22.5	$24,894	$1,904	$22,990
Vanderlyn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1877 Vanderlyn Dr	Dunwoody	30338	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 874-9002	441	31	14.2	9.5%	223 (50.6%)	34 (7.7%)	45 (10.2%)	110 (24.9%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.4%)	93	96^th of 1219 public elementary schools	92.1%		94.8	72^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	94.2%	24	73.8	74.3	81.5	67.7	$19,382	$1,584	$17,798
Montgomery Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3995 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE	Brookhaven	30319	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 676-7502	728	46	15.8	14.7%	398 (54.7%)	105 (14.4%)	78 (10.7%)	72 (9.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (10.2%)	84.5	182^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	85.1%		94.2	80^th of 1238 public elementary schools	93.5%	102	72.3	59.6	63.2	64.4	$17,273	$2,055	$15,218

Frequently Asked Questions about Hightower Elementary School

How many students attend Hightower Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 604 students attended Hightower Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Hightower Elementary School?

Students at Hightower Elementary School are 92% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Asian.

What district is Hightower Elementary School in?

DeKalb County

What schools do graduates of Hightower Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Peachtree Middle School
High : Dunwoody High School

Is Hightower Elementary School a good school?

Hightower Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.9% of Georgia elementary schools.

Rate Hightower Elementary 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.