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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.

South Franklin Elementary School

Q: Is South Franklin Elementary School a good school?

South Franklin Elementary School ranks 643 rd of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

643^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Royston Elementary School in Royston, GA, serves approximately 517 students in grades PK-5 and is part of the Franklin County district, which ranks in the 53rd percentile statewide.

Royston Elementary has experienced a significant shift in recent years. After reaching its highest point in 2022-2023, the school has seen a steady decline in its overall state ranking, moving from the 80th percentile to the 47th percentile in 2025-2026. The most dramatic change is in 5th grade math, where proficiency dropped from an impressive 77% in 2023-2024 to 35.5% in 2025-2026—now below both the district and state averages. The school's strongest current area is 4th grade math, where 51.3% of students are proficient, slightly above the state average. However, 3rd grade math (40.6%) and 5th grade science (34.6%) both trail the state by roughly 8-10 points. Within the district, Carnesville Elementary School now outperforms Royston in every subject tested, while Lavonia Elementary School trails behind.

Chronic absenteeism remains a persistent challenge, with 19.4% of students chronically absent—nearly double the rate at nearby Hartwell Elementary School (9.6%) and North Hart Elementary School (9.9%). The school also serves a high-poverty population, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch in 2024-2025, up from 72.6% just two years earlier. Per-student spending is $13,079, which is lower than several nearby schools like Comer Elementary School ($17,220) and Danielsville Elementary School ($16,644). While the school faces clear challenges, its strong performance as recently as 2023-2024 shows that success is possible, and the key will be identifying what drove that earlier achievement and reversing the current downward trend.

517

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,079

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5670 Hwy 145
Carnesville, GA 30521

(706) 245-9252

District: Franklin County

Students who attend South Franklin Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Franklin County Middle School
High:	Franklin County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.1%

African American:

13.9%

Hispanic:

8.3%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare South Franklin Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (41% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

Georgia avg47%

643^rd of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Franklin County

95^th of 202Franklin 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	43.0	643 of 1222	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.0	550 of 1238	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	357 of 1236	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.8	254 of 1223	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	58.7	465 of 1220	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.8	360 of 1214	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	30.4	852 of 1234	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	727 of 1209	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.9	660 of 1205	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	52.9	527 of 1233	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.0	432 of 1240	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.3	520 of 1231	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.8	410 of 1225	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.7	374 of 1201	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.7	495 of 1212	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	56.9	590 of 1183	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.1	505 of 1133	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.6	659 of 1134	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.1	574 of 1125	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	63.2	460 of 1101	58.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	794 of 892	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	608 of 1189	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.0	560 of 1224	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.2	343 of 1223	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	80.8	213 of 1212	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	49.6	551 of 1206	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	655 of 1186	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.4	541 of 1225	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.4	361 of 1220	70.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.8	327 of 1210	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	349 of 1209	71.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	33.9	302 of 466	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.7	226 of 487	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	204 of 455	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.9	179 of 415	56.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	587 of 703	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.5	518 of 769	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	398 of 772	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.5	268 of 775	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.4	523 of 779	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)49th percentile~ school

Male (2026)45th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)35th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile-31 vs school

African American (2025)11th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics43%-5 vs state

Science35%-10 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Excellent school. Great kids! Close Quote

Schools Near South Franklin 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 (2025)	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
South Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5670 Hwy 145	Carnesville	30521	Franklin County	Franklin County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 245-9252	517	38	13.7	100.0%	347 (67.1%)	72 (13.9%)	43 (8.3%)	17 (3.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.0%)	43	643^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	47.4%		51	550^th of 1238 public elementary schools	55.6%	93	40.6	51.3	35.5	34.6	$13,079	$807	$12,272
North Hart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	124 Ankerich Rd	Bowersville	30516	Hart County	Hart County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 856-7369	666	44	15.1	96.5%	488 (73.3%)	47 (7.1%)	83 (12.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (6.5%)	60.7	422^nd of 1222 public elementary schools	65.5%		82.5	209^th of 1238 public elementary schools	83.1%	213	45.3	66.0	44.7	45.5	$12,726	$893	$11,833
Carnesville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11555 Highway 59	Carnesville	30521	Franklin County	Franklin County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 384-7326	637	55	11.6	100.0%	508 (79.7%)	28 (4.4%)	53 (8.3%)	17 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.7%)	59.9	433^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	64.6%		57.9	465^th of 1238 public elementary schools	62.4%	32	57.6	58.3	41.3	41.3	$15,132	$1,194	$13,938
South Hart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	121 E & M Dairy Rd	Hartwell	30643	Hart County	Hart County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 856-7383	608	41	14.8	100.0%	348 (57.2%)	121 (19.9%)	91 (15.0%)	20 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (4.4%)	48.5	564^th of 1222 public elementary schools	53.8%		58.4	458^th of 1238 public elementary schools	63.0%	106	46.8	59.6	39.0	28.0	$13,029	$871	$12,158
Lavonia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	818 Hartwell Rd	Lavonia	30553	Franklin County	Franklin County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 356-8209	575	42	13.7	100.0%	359 (62.4%)	80 (13.9%)	93 (16.2%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.1%)	30.8	824^th of 1222 public elementary schools	32.6%		39.6	690^th of 1238 public elementary schools	44.3%	134	27.8	47.3	27.8	31.9	$12,678	$653	$12,025
Hartwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	147 S College Ave	Hartwell	30643	Hart County	Hart County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 376-4425	566	39	14.5	100.0%	260 (45.9%)	198 (35.0%)	32 (5.7%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (11.3%)	38	697^th of 1222 public elementary schools	43.0%		44.2	636^th of 1238 public elementary schools	48.6%	61	40.9	52.3	26.6	29.3	$13,415	$836	$12,579
Ila Elementary School	Public	K-5	150 Sewell Mill Rd	Danielsville	30647	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 789-3445	428	35	12.4	80.8%	357 (83.4%)	4 (0.9%)	45 (10.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.0%)	84.3	185^th of 1222 public elementary schools	84.9%		82.7	205^th of 1238 public elementary schools	83.4%	20	68.9	64.6	59.7	62.5	$14,759	$1,044	$13,715
Danielsville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Madison St	Danielsville	30633	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 795-2181	709	55	12.9	90.3%	555 (78.3%)	29 (4.1%)	82 (11.6%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.9%)	58.4	449^th of 1222 public elementary schools	63.3%		61.7	418^th of 1238 public elementary schools	66.2%	31	51.1	48.7	42.5	50.6	$16,644	$1,209	$15,434
Comer Elementary School	Public	K-5	565 Gholston St	Comer	30629	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 783-2797	419	37	11.4	95.2%	275 (65.6%)	54 (12.9%)	34 (8.1%)	40 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.8%)	60.1	431^st of 1222 public elementary schools	64.7%		55	503^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	59.4%	72	59.0	36.5	39.5	62.7	$17,220	$1,087	$16,134
Elbert County Elementary School	Public	3-5	1150 Athens Tech Rd	Elberton	30635	Elbert County	Elbert County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 213-4600	633	46	13.6	100.0%	300 (47.4%)	217 (34.3%)	73 (11.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (5.8%)	58.5	448^th of 1222 public elementary schools	63.3%		50.2	561^st of 1238 public elementary schools	54.7%	113	49.5	52.5	41.9	49.4	$13,763	$1,874	$11,889

Frequently Asked Questions about South Franklin Elementary School

How many students attend South Franklin Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 517 students attended South Franklin Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of South Franklin Elementary School?

Students at South Franklin Elementary School are 67% White, 14% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is South Franklin Elementary School a good school?

South Franklin Elementary School ranks 643^rd of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of South Franklin Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Franklin Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Franklin County Middle School
High : Franklin County High School

What district is South Franklin Elementary School in?

Franklin County

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Schools in Carnesville, 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.