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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.

Paulding County High School

Q: Is Paulding County High School a good school?

Paulding County High School ranks 173 rd of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

173^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 455 Georgia High Schools

Better than 62% of Georgia high schools

Summary

Paulding County High School is a large public high school in Dallas, GA, serving 2,099 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Paulding County district. The school ranks in the upper-middle tier of Georgia high schools (173rd out of 455) and has shown strong positive momentum in recent years, with its graduation rate jumping from 86.4% to 91.9% in a single year—now exceeding both the district and state averages.

The school's standout strength is U.S. History, where 53.7% of students scored proficient in the most recent year—a remarkable 15-point advantage over the state average (38.5%). This pattern has held for three consecutive years, suggesting a genuine instructional strength in social studies. The school also performs exceptionally well with specific student groups: Hispanic students rank in the 74th percentile statewide, and Special Education students rank in the 76th percentile, both earning 4-star ratings. Additionally, Algebra I proficiency has nearly tripled over three years, from 14.4% to 42.1%, though it still trails the state average. Within the district, the school sits in the middle—ahead of South Paulding High School and East Paulding High School, but behind district leader North Paulding High School. Nearby Cobb County schools like Harrison High School and Hillgrove High School post higher overall scores, but they serve significantly more affluent populations, making direct comparisons less meaningful.

The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 27.8%—well above the district (16.8%) and state (17.7%) averages, though it has improved from a peak of 39.4%. The dropout rate of 2.5% also remains slightly above the district average. On the positive side, the school spends efficiently: at $11,883 per student, it achieves better outcomes than Hiram High School, which spends 12.6% more but ranks 145 places lower. Overall, Paulding County High School is a school on an upward trajectory—improving graduation rates, rising test scores, and declining absenteeism all point to effective interventions taking hold, even as challenges remain.

2,099

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,883

Per pupil spending ?

59.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1297 Villa Rica Hwy
Dallas, GA 30157

(770) 443-8008

District: Paulding County

Feeder schools for Paulding County High School:

Elementary:	Allgood Elementary School
	Dallas Elementary School
	Lillian C. Poole Elementary School
	Sara M. Ragsdale Elementary
Middle:	Herschel Jones Middle School
	South Paulding Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.8%

African American:

37.0%

Hispanic:

13.1%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare Paulding County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Georgia average (87%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Georgia median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 18% Georgia)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg45%

Georgia avg45%

173^rd of 455

Georgia public high schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High Schools in the Paulding County

87^th of 201Paulding 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	48.1	173 of 455	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.7	226 of 451	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	197 of 454	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	168 of 448	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.5	182 of 431	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	123 of 410	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	45.5	188 of 438	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.8	208 of 428	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.3	192 of 420	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	41.7	211 of 426	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.0	168 of 435	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	50.9	205 of 425	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.4	230 of 425	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.0	217 of 396	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.6	162 of 402	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	33.1	295 of 384	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	42.1	247 of 372	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.8	219 of 370	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.1	156 of 358	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.6	195 of 335	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	131 of 376	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.6	168 of 391	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	132 of 382	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	142 of 384	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	98 of 372	73.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	86 of 173	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.5	37 of 180	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	84.2	10 of 159	93.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	169 of 431	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.0	221 of 438	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.2	197 of 435	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	186 of 433	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.3	136 of 430	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	58.2	78 of 298	73.8%	★★★★☆
2025	48.3	118 of 312	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	85 of 315	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	60.1	86 of 308	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	58.0	97 of 295	67.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	174 of 436	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.8	231 of 442	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.8	189 of 436	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	155 of 436	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.8	162 of 427	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	70 of 123	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.0	126 of 149	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	131 of 158	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	122 of 141	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	116 of 126	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	64.1	82 of 338	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	48.5	143 of 347	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.1	170 of 344	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.4	144 of 343	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	150 of 331	54.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	36.6	193 of 334	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.4	241 of 341	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	243 of 346	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.6	164 of 343	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.4	154 of 339	54.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)76th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)74th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)61st percentile~ school

Male (2026)60th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)50th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)43rd percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)42nd percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

United States History54%+15 vs state

Algebra I42%-6 vs state

Biology38%-10 vs state

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Schools Near Paulding County High 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 Algebra I (2026)	Milestones Assessment Biology (2026)	Milestones Assessment United States History (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 Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paulding County High School	Public	9-12	1297 Villa Rica Hwy	Dallas	30157	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-8008	2,099	120	17.4	59.1%	898 (42.8%)	776 (37.0%)	275 (13.1%)	17 (0.8%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	128 (6.1%)	48.1	173^rd of 455 public high schools	62.0%		40.7	226^th of 451 public high schools	49.9%	53	42.1	37.5	53.7	$11,883	$408	$11,475
Hiram High School	Public	9-12	702 Virgie Ballentine Dr	Hiram	30141	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-1182	1,460	91	16.1	63.2%	299 (20.5%)	789 (54.0%)	267 (18.3%)	7 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	93 (6.4%)	25.3	318^th of 455 public high schools	30.1%		32.3	284^th of 451 public high schools	37.0%	34	26.5	28.6	29.6	$13,382	$381	$13,000
East Paulding High School	Public	9-12	3320 E Paulding Dr	Dallas	30157	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 445-5100	1,985	114	17.3	48.5%	823 (41.5%)	699 (35.2%)	307 (15.5%)	31 (1.6%)	2 (0.1%)	6 (0.3%)	117 (5.9%)	43.4	207^th of 455 public high schools	54.5%		36.6	254^th of 451 public high schools	43.7%	47	39.3	38.6	42.1	$12,327	$415	$11,912
South Paulding High School	Public	9-12	1364 Winn Rd	Douglasville	30134	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 949-9221	1,881	110	17.1	46.9%	1,072 (57.0%)	502 (26.7%)	200 (10.6%)	7 (0.4%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	93 (4.9%)	45.2	189^th of 455 public high schools	58.5%		40.3	230^th of 451 public high schools	49.0%	41	32.4	43.3	44.3	$12,258	$273	$11,984
McEachern High School	Public	9-12	2400 New Macland Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 222-3710	2,175	126	17.2	69.3%	123 (5.7%)	1,433 (65.9%)	509 (23.4%)	12 (0.6%)	3 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (4.4%)	44.9	192^nd of 455 public high schools	57.8%		42.3	211^th of 451 public high schools	53.2%	19	33.6	35.7	51.1	$13,650	$366	$13,284
Hillgrove High School	Public	9-12	4165 Luther Ward Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 331-3961	2,282	125	18.2	30.3%	890 (39.0%)	822 (36.0%)	360 (15.8%)	79 (3.5%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	124 (5.4%)	79.4	40^th of 455 public high schools	91.2%		83	41^st of 451 public high schools	90.9%	1	67.1	69.8	56.8	$12,833	$380	$12,452
Harrison High School	Public	9-12	4500 Due West Rd NW	Kennesaw	30152	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8104	2,224	119	18.6	16.0%	1,489 (67.0%)	308 (13.8%)	206 (9.3%)	103 (4.6%)	7 (0.3%)	1 (0.0%)	110 (4.9%)	86.4	22^nd of 455 public high schools	95.2%		88.1	25^th of 451 public high schools	94.5%	3	75.5	78.3	66.2	$12,550	$425	$12,125
Allatoona High School	Public	9-12	3300 Dallas Acworth Hwy NW	Acworth	30101	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 975-6503	1,560	98	15.9	29.4%	881 (56.5%)	298 (19.1%)	236 (15.1%)	55 (3.5%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	85 (5.4%)	71.9	61^st of 455 public high schools	86.6%		78.7	51^st of 451 public high schools	88.7%	10	53.7	60.7	64.1	$14,230	$329	$13,901
Douglas County High School	Public	9-12	8705 Campbellton St	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-6500	1,958	114	17.1	70.3%	101 (5.2%)	1,379 (70.4%)	349 (17.8%)	28 (1.4%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	96 (4.9%)	50.9	163^rd of 455 public high schools	64.2%		36.6	256^th of 451 public high schools	43.2%	93	43.8	45.6	45.6	$11,846	$462	$11,384
North Paulding High School	Public	9-12	300 N Paulding Dr	Dallas	30132	Paulding County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-9400	3,015	162	18.5	29.3%	1,714 (56.8%)	756 (25.1%)	339 (11.2%)	58 (1.9%)	5 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	140 (4.6%)	62.2	98^th of 455 public high schools	78.5%		67	94^th of 451 public high schools	79.2%	4	39.8	53.3	60.7	$11,332	$365	$10,968

Frequently Asked Questions about Paulding County High School

How many students attend Paulding County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,099 students attended Paulding County High School.

What schools feed into Paulding County High School?

Paulding County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Allgood Elementary School
Elementary : Dallas Elementary School
Elementary : Lillian C. Poole Elementary School
Elementary : Sara M. Ragsdale Elementary
Middle : Herschel Jones Middle School
Middle : South Paulding Middle School

Is Paulding County High School a good school?

Paulding County High School ranks 173^rd of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Paulding County High School in?

Paulding County

What is the racial makeup of Paulding County High School?

Students at Paulding County High School are 43% White, 37% African American, 13% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)NewAug 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.