Radloff Middle School

Radloff Middle School in Duluth, GA, serves approximately 1,315 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Gwinnett County School District, where about 90% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Radloff's test scores are significantly below district and state averages in most subjects. For example, only about 19-22% of students are proficient in grade-level math, compared to roughly 41-55% across the district and state. The gap is also wide in 8th grade social studies (19% proficient vs. 51% district) and physical science (18% vs. 48% district). Nearby schools like Hull Middle School achieve 68.7% proficiency in 6th grade math—a 50-point difference. Even Summerour Middle School, which serves a similarly high-poverty population, outperforms Radloff by 15-20 points in most subjects. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern at 21.3%, well above the district average of 15%, though it has improved from 26% last year.

There is one notable bright spot: Radloff's Algebra I students scored 50% proficient, above the state average of 48.1%. This suggests the school is effectively serving its advanced math students, even as the broader student population struggles. However, this is a sharp drop from 85.6% proficiency two years ago. The school spends $15,294 per student—among the highest in the area—and maintains a favorable 12.4:1 student-teacher ratio, yet its statewide ranking has declined from the 34th percentile in 2017-2018 to the 14th percentile today. This pattern suggests that additional resources alone haven't reversed the trend, and the school may benefit from examining strategies at comparable schools like Sweetwater Middle School that achieve better outcomes with similar demographics.