Macon County Middle School

Macon County Middle School in Montezuma, GA, serves 189 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Macon County district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school has shown real progress over the past decade, climbing from the 9th percentile statewide in 2015-2016 to its best ranking yet—the 22nd percentile—in 2025-2026. The standout success is 8th grade science, where 31.6% of students are proficient, actually beating the state average of 29.7%. That's a remarkable jump from just 17.5% the year before. Eighth grade math also improved dramatically, rising from 7.9% to 26.3% proficiency in a single year. However, math proficiency in 6th and 7th grades remains very low (7.7% and 9.8%, respectively), suggesting the school's upper-grade instruction is a relative strength. The school has invested heavily in improvement, increasing per-student spending from $13,597 to $19,919 over three years and lowering the student-teacher ratio to 11.8. Chronic absenteeism remains a challenge at 27.1%, well above the state average of 17.7%, though it has improved slightly from recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, Macon County Middle outperforms Sumter County Middle School in both 8th grade math (26.3% vs. 11.8%) and science (31.6% vs. 19.4%), and ranks higher statewide (22nd vs. 12th percentile). Against Dooly County Middle School, Macon County leads in 8th grade math and science but trails in 6th and 7th grade math. Both schools struggle with similar chronic absenteeism rates. While the school still faces significant challenges—especially in early middle school math—the upward trend in 8th grade performance and the strong science results suggest that when students are consistently present, they can achieve at competitive levels. Addressing attendance could be the most impactful next step for continued improvement.