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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.

Waldo Pafford Elementary School

Q: Is Waldo Pafford Elementary School a good school?

Waldo Pafford Elementary School ranks 863 rd of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

863^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Waldo Pafford Elementary School in Hinesville, GA, serves approximately 741 students in grades K-5 within the Liberty County school district, a community where 83% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Waldo Pafford currently holds a 1-star rating, ranking in the 29th percentile statewide—a steady decline from its 3-star, 51st-percentile performance just three years ago. The school's biggest academic challenge is math, where proficiency gaps widen significantly by 5th grade: only 22.8% of 5th graders meet state standards, compared to 44.1% statewide. There is encouraging news, though—3rd grade math proficiency jumped from 28.2% to 37.4% in just one year, and 4th grade improved similarly. Science is a relative bright spot, with 5th graders nearly matching the district average. While current English Language Arts scores aren't available in this release, historical data shows Waldo Pafford has sometimes exceeded state averages in reading, including a 52% proficiency rate in 5th grade ELA in 2023-2024.

The most striking comparison is with Taylors Creek Elementary School, located just 0.8 miles away. Taylors Creek serves a similarly high-poverty population (88.6% free/reduced lunch) with nearly identical spending and class sizes, yet ranks in the 89th percentile with math proficiency rates two to three times higher at every grade level. The key difference appears to be attendance: Taylors Creek's chronic absenteeism rate is just 12.8%, while Waldo Pafford's is 22.6%—though that's down significantly from 30.8% two years ago. Waldo Pafford also trails Frank Long Elementary and Liberty Elementary, but outperforms Lyman Hall Elementary. With per-student spending up 37% over two years and class sizes improving, the school has invested heavily in resources—and its neighbor's success suggests that continued focus on attendance could help reverse the downward trend.

741

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,619

Per pupil spending ?

83.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2550 15th St
Hinesville, GA 31313

(912) 877-4188

District: Liberty County

Students who attend Waldo Pafford Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Bradwell Institute

Racial breakdown:

African American:

59.8%

Hispanic:

16.2%

White:

11.3%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Waldo Pafford Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (32% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg38%

Georgia avg47%

863^rd of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Liberty County

129^th of 201Liberty 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	27.9	863 of 1219	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	826 of 1238	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.0	694 of 1236	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	607 of 1223	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.3	719 of 1220	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	767 of 1214	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.0	612 of 1234	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	535 of 1209	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	30.7	828 of 1205	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.9	686 of 1233	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.9	728 of 1240	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	57.6	631 of 1231	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	67.0	445 of 1225	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	73.3	315 of 1201	73.8%	★★★★☆
2011	64.5	499 of 1212	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.5	436 of 1183	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.6	272 of 1133	76.0%	★★★★☆
2008	73.0	273 of 1134	75.9%	★★★★☆
2007	75.5	251 of 1125	77.7%	★★★★☆
2006	77.5	207 of 1101	81.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	480 of 828	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.9	443 of 892	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.3	432 of 879	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.8	376 of 870	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.6	443 of 876	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	797 of 1186	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.5	872 of 1224	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.9	642 of 1223	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.9	498 of 1212	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.3	612 of 1206	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	216 of 503	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.7	148 of 583	74.6%	★★★★☆
2024	65.5	147 of 565	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	87 of 535	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	58.4	186 of 516	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	869 of 1183	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.2	770 of 1225	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	759 of 1220	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	717 of 1210	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	796 of 1209	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	10.0	54 of 56	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	351 of 465	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	497 of 565	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.0	234 of 455	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2024	33.0	527 of 772	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.3	352 of 775	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.5	514 of 779	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)57th percentile+28 vs school

African American (2026)42nd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)33rd percentile+4 vs school

White (2024)32nd percentile-12 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)25th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)4th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science35%-9 vs state

Mathematics31%-16 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Waldo Pafford Elementary School USED to be excellent once, since the new principal and assistant principal came this school is NO LONGER #1 for elementary schools. They are very racist and have no respect to the students and parents, not very helpful at all, ALWAYS ASKING FOR MONEY and always adding fraudulent charges on my child books, i.e. booking missing or lunch money when my child is on free lunch. Next year i'll homeschool or will be attending private school.
WARNING: DO NOT ATTEND WALDO PAFFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Close Quote

Schools Near Waldo Pafford 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
Waldo Pafford Elementary School	Public	K-5	2550 15th St	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 877-4188	741	49	15.1	83.1%	84 (11.3%)	443 (59.8%)	120 (16.2%)	10 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.5%)	72 (9.7%)	27.9	863^rd of 1219 public elementary schools	29.2%		30.6	826^th of 1238 public elementary schools	33.3%	37	37.4	34.1	22.8	35.4	$12,619	$982	$11,637
Taylors Creek Elementary School	Public	K-5	378 Airport Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 369-0378	765	50	15.3	88.6%	187 (24.4%)	361 (47.2%)	127 (16.6%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	78 (10.2%)	89.7	131^st of 1219 public elementary schools	89.3%		72.5	302^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	75.6%	171	65.0	78.2	67.5	68.4	$12,668	$949	$11,719
Lyman Hall Elementary School	Public	K-5	1396 Shaw Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 368-3348	588	40	14.7	100.0%	88 (15.0%)	344 (58.5%)	77 (13.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.2%)	63 (10.7%)	13	1111^th of 1219 public elementary schools	8.9%		15.9	1077^th of 1238 public elementary schools	13.0%	34	20.7	16.5	18.9	27.4	$13,733	$989	$12,744
Frank Long Elementary School	Public	K-5	920 Long Frasier Dr	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 368-3595	685	47	14.5	100.0%	113 (16.5%)	404 (59.0%)	80 (11.7%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	78 (11.4%)	32.7	788^th of 1219 public elementary schools	35.4%		41.1	674^th of 1238 public elementary schools	45.6%	114	48.6	30.1	28.0	33.0	$13,325	$1,050	$12,275
Button Gwinnett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	635 Taylor Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 876-0146	1,162	43	27.1	95.4%	198 (17.0%)	701 (60.3%)	80 (6.9%)	14 (1.2%)	3 (0.3%)	8 (0.7%)	158 (13.6%)	28.6	854^th of 1219 public elementary schools	29.9%		23.8	945^th of 1238 public elementary schools	23.7%	91	41.8	33.7	21.7	32.5	$12,005	$951	$11,054
Joseph Martin Elementary School	Public	K-5	1000 Joseph Martin Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 368-3114	720	47	15.3	76.0%	126 (17.5%)	355 (49.3%)	147 (20.4%)	9 (1.3%)	3 (0.4%)	8 (1.1%)	72 (10.0%)	27.2	876^th of 1219 public elementary schools	28.1%		30.1	832^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	32.8%	44	39.5	39.6	24.3	21.5	$12,354	$879	$11,475
McClelland Elementary School	Public	4-5	2015 US Highway 84 E	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 545-7910	694	42	16.3	80.3%	304 (43.8%)	172 (24.8%)	137 (19.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)	71 (10.2%)	36	735^th of 1219 public elementary schools	39.7%		33.2	795^th of 1238 public elementary schools	35.8%	60		41.0	23.8	42.5	$10,375	$642	$9,732
Long County Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	50 Martin Luther King Jr. Stre	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(912) 545-2367	905	45	20.0	78.3%	374 (41.3%)	226 (25.0%)	220 (24.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	76 (8.4%)								(n/a)					$11,197	$560	$10,637
Smiley Elementary School	Public	2-3	1530 Ga Highway 57	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 545-2147	765	48	15.9	77.3%	323 (42.2%)	202 (26.4%)	154 (20.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	76 (9.9%)								(n/a)	47.0				$10,345	$532	$9,813
Liberty Elementary School	Public	K-5	600 Edgewater Dr	Midway	31320	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 884-3326	718	49	14.8	96.2%	288 (40.1%)	287 (40.0%)	75 (10.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (9.1%)	38.3	692^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	43.2%		45.3	623^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	49.7%	69	38.5	50.4	30.2	32.1	$13,270	$922	$12,349

Frequently Asked Questions about Waldo Pafford Elementary School

What district is Waldo Pafford Elementary School in?

Liberty County

What is the racial makeup of Waldo Pafford Elementary School?

Students at Waldo Pafford Elementary School are 60% African American, 16% Hispanic, 11% White, 10% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Waldo Pafford Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 741 students attended Waldo Pafford Elementary School.

Is Waldo Pafford Elementary School a good school?

Waldo Pafford Elementary School ranks 863^rd of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Waldo Pafford Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Waldo Pafford Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Bradwell Institute

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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.