Mimosa Elementary School

Mimosa Elementary School in Roswell, GA, serves approximately 588 students in grades PK-5 as part of Fulton County Schools, and it is one of the most economically diverse schools in the area, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Mimosa’s academic performance, particularly in math and science, trails most nearby schools by a wide margin. In the most recent testing year, math proficiency ranged from 23.9% (5th grade) to 45.7% (4th grade), while nearby schools like Sweet Apple Elementary and Roswell North Elementary posted proficiency rates between 67% and 85% in the same grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency at Mimosa was 18.8%, a decline from the prior year and roughly 37 points below the district average. Even Vickery Mill Elementary, which also serves a 100% free/reduced lunch population, outperformed Mimosa in most math categories. The school’s overall state ranking improved modestly from the 19th to the 26th percentile, but it remains in the bottom quarter of Georgia elementary schools.

There are some encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 19.7% to 12.2% over three years—now better than the district and state averages. The school also shows relative strength with English Language Learner students, ranking in the 51st percentile statewide for that group. However, a sharp drop in 5th-grade math proficiency (from 45.7% as 4th graders to 23.9% as 5th graders) suggests a transition challenge in upper elementary. Mimosa spends more per student ($21,064) than several higher-performing neighbors, and its student-teacher ratio is favorable at 11.2:1, yet the achievement gap persists—likely reflecting the compounded challenges of concentrated poverty. For parents, this is a school working hard on foundational issues like attendance, but academic acceleration, especially in upper grades, remains a critical work in progress.