Summary
Rothschild Leadership Academy School is a middle school in Columbus, GA, serving 498 students in grades 6-8 within the Muscogee County district, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Rothschild Leadership Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of Georgia middle schools over the past decade, and the most recent data shows proficiency rates that are roughly one-quarter to one-fifth of state averages across all subjects. For example, only 5.2% of 6th graders scored proficient in math, compared to 40.7% statewide, and 8th grade science proficiency was 12% versus 29.7% statewide. The contrast with nearby Richards Middle School is stark—Richards, which serves a similar high-poverty population, ranks in the 74th percentile and posts 6th grade math proficiency of 48.7%. Chronic absenteeism is also a major challenge, with 26.4% of students missing significant school time, though this is an improvement from 32.5% the prior year. On a positive note, 8th grade math has shown steady gains, climbing from 0.5% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 12.3% in the latest cycle, and the student-teacher ratio has improved to 13.9, now comparable to higher-performing schools.
One bright spot is that the school's Special Education students rank in the 10th percentile statewide—the highest subgroup ranking at the school—suggesting relatively stronger support for these students. However, the school has no Algebra I End of Course data, indicating very few students are being accelerated into advanced math, which can limit future academic options. Per-student spending is $12,848, slightly above the district average but less than several lower-performing peers, while the highest-performing nearby school, Richards, spends less ($11,748) and achieves dramatically better results. With a decade of bottom-5% rankings, the data suggests that incremental improvements may not be enough, and more comprehensive intervention may be needed to meaningfully change student outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!