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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.

Pickens County Junior High School

Q: Is Pickens County Junior High School a good school?

Pickens County Junior High School ranks 301 st of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

301^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 48% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Pickens County Junior High School in Jasper, GA, serves 638 students in grades 7-8 within the Pickens County district, where about 58% of families qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school’s standout strength is its Algebra I program: in 2025-2026, 96.2% of students scored proficient or better—roughly double the state average of 48.1%. This pattern has held for several years, with proficiency rates consistently in the high 80s to mid-90s. Eighth graders taking High School Physical Science also perform well, with 74.2% proficiency versus 60.9% statewide. However, grade-level math results are more modest—about 40% proficiency in both 7th and 8th grade—suggesting the advanced math pathway serves a select group exceptionally well while the broader math program may need attention.

The school’s most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism. At 24.9%, roughly one in four students misses 10% or more of the school year—well above the state average of 17.7% and the district’s 19.2%. This rate has climbed from 22.1% the prior year. Nearby schools show much lower rates: Dean Rusk Middle School and Teasley Middle School both sit near 10%, while Clear Creek Middle School is at 11.4%. Pickens also trails Clear Creek in most grade-level subjects—for example, 40.4% vs. 55.4% in 7th grade math—though it edges out Clear Creek in Algebra I (96.2% vs. 90%).

State rankings have been volatile: after sitting in the 60th-65th percentile from 2016-2021, the school dropped to the 33rd percentile in 2024-2025 before recovering to the 48th percentile this year. Subgroup results show room for improvement, with White students and special education students ranking in the low teens statewide. On a positive note, the school spends $14,271 per student—more than most nearby schools—and maintains a favorable 15:1 student-teacher ratio. These resources, combined with the proven success of the Algebra I program, suggest the school has strong foundations to build on, but addressing absenteeism and broadening math success beyond advanced classes will be key to lifting overall performance.

638

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,271

Per pupil spending ?

58.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1802 Refuge Rd
Jasper, GA 30143

(706) 253-1830

District: Pickens County

Students who attend Pickens County Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Pickens County High School

Feeder schools for Pickens County Junior High School:

Elementary:	Harmony Elementary School
	Hill City Elementary School
	Tate Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.9%

Hispanic:

7.1%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Pickens County Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (38% vs 43% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 18% Georgia)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg37%

Georgia avg43%

301^st of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From top 37% (2016) to bottom 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	43.8	301 of 578	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.4	390 of 585	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	340 of 578	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.3	232 of 569	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.6	254 of 558	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	201 of 542	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	277 of 559	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.8	340 of 543	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	60.3	188 of 539	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.0	204 of 545	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.2	179 of 537	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	70.8	133 of 521	74.5%	★★★★☆
2013	71.7	130 of 527	75.3%	★★★★☆
2012	67.0	162 of 508	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.6	175 of 504	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	69.1	136 of 494	72.5%	★★★★☆
2009	70.2	119 of 466	74.5%	★★★★☆
2008	71.4	114 of 462	75.3%	★★★★☆
2007	70.6	109 of 445	75.5%	★★★★☆
2006	64.0	152 of 420	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	327 of 550	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.8	406 of 567	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.5	317 of 558	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.2	211 of 553	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	231 of 544	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	25.3	294 of 374	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.3	272 of 400	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	257 of 381	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	77.4	57 of 380	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	64.0	97 of 367	73.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	48.2	268 of 550	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.5	357 of 569	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.6	334 of 561	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	239 of 559	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	248 of 553	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	25.1	128 of 157	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	119 of 159	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	365 of 425	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.4	407 of 442	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.6	302 of 437	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.0	163 of 429	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.4	148 of 431	65.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	18.6	350 of 404	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	396 of 415	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	379 of 417	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	339 of 429	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	337 of 425	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)51st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)41st percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile-27 vs school

Migrant (2023)18th percentile-41 vs school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile-34 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I96%+48 vs state

HS Physical Science74%+13 vs state

Mathematics41%-4 vs state

Social Studies26%-14 vs state

Science22%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pickens County Junior 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 Mathematics (2026)				Milestones Assessment Science (2026)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2026)	Milestones Assessment HS Physical 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 (2025)	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 Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pickens County Junior High School	Public	7-8	1802 Refuge Rd	Jasper	30143	Pickens County	Pickens County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 253-1830	638	43	15.0	58.3%	567 (88.9%)	4 (0.6%)	45 (7.1%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	43.8	301^st of 578 public middle schools	47.9%		32.4	390^th of 585 public middle schools	33.3%	89	96.2			40.4	40.8		21.7	26.5	74.2	$14,271	$694	$13,577
Jasper Middle School	Public	5-6	158 Stegall Dr	Jasper	30143	Pickens County	Pickens County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 253-1730	573	44	13.0	61.3%	513 (89.5%)	3 (0.5%)	42 (7.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.3%)								(n/a)		42.0	47.0			38.6				$14,187	$666	$13,521
Clear Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	346 Clear Creek School Dr	Ellijay	30536	Gilmer County	Gilmer County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 276-5150	904	60	15.1	50.8%	567 (62.7%)	6 (0.7%)	316 (35.0%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	76.1	123^rd of 578 public middle schools	78.7%		70.6	147^th of 585 public middle schools	74.9%	24	90.0		44.5	55.4	61.4		48.6	45.2		$12,996	$495	$12,501
Teasley Middle School	Public	6-8	151 Hickory Log Dr	Canton	30114	Cherokee County	Cherokee County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 721-5420	1,586	112	14.1	58.6%	777 (49.0%)	110 (6.9%)	606 (38.2%)	12 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (4.9%)	55.5	233^rd of 578 public middle schools	59.7%		55.5	236^th of 585 public middle schools	59.7%	3	100.0		29.1	41.4	53.8		31.6	36.8	86.7	$13,565	$849	$12,715
Creekland Middle School	Public	6-8	1555 Owens Store Rd	Canton	30115	Cherokee County	Cherokee County	No	No	No	No	(770) 704-4460	1,503	91	16.5	21.6%	1,181 (78.6%)	39 (2.6%)	182 (12.1%)	34 (2.3%)	5 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	60 (4.0%)	86.6	64^th of 578 public middle schools	88.9%		85.5	75^th of 585 public middle schools	87.2%	11	98.7		54.2	63.7	69.1		43.7	62.5	91.1	$12,133	$282	$11,851
Liberty Middle School	Public	6-8	7465 Wallace Tatum Rd	Cumming	30028	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(770) 781-4889	1,256	74	16.8	21.7%	699 (55.7%)	40 (3.2%)	180 (14.3%)	297 (23.6%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (2.8%)	74.7	133^rd of 578 public middle schools	77.0%		78.8	108^th of 585 public middle schools	81.5%	25	91.8		71.8	68.8	55.9			62.4	48.2	$11,582	$203	$11,378
Dawson County Middle School	Public	6-7	5126 Highway 9 S	Dawsonville	30534	Dawson County	Dawson County	No	No	No	No	(706) 216-4849	641	40	15.9	52.6%	498 (77.7%)	12 (1.9%)	73 (11.4%)	33 (5.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.4%)								(n/a)			39.6	39.3						$12,218	$362	$11,856
Hendricks Middle School	Public	6-8	4950 Hyde Rd	Cumming	30040	Forsyth County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	No	(678) 965-5038	1,376	75	18.3	15.3%	637 (46.3%)	53 (3.9%)	171 (12.4%)	444 (32.3%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (4.8%)	83.4	82^nd of 578 public middle schools	85.8%		91.9	49^th of 585 public middle schools	91.6%	33	98.1		71.6	80.0	78.1		4.0	56.6	65.0	$10,925	$201	$10,725
Freedom Middle School	Public	6-8	10550 Bells Ferry Rd	Canton	30114	Cherokee County	Cherokee County	No	No	No	No	(770) 704-1100	929	54	17.2	29.7%	643 (69.2%)	77 (8.3%)	136 (14.6%)	17 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (6.0%)	80.9	92^nd of 578 public middle schools	84.1%		80.4	99^th of 585 public middle schools	83.1%	7	100.0		45.1	58.5	66.3		35.6	67.2	100.0	$12,583	$301	$12,282
Dean Rusk Middle School	Public	6-8	2761 E Cherokee Dr	Canton	30115	Cherokee County	Cherokee County	No	No	No	No	(770) 704-1135	1,543	93	16.6	30.2%	1,003 (65.0%)	107 (6.9%)	277 (18.0%)	63 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	92 (6.0%)	87.6	58^th of 578 public middle schools	90.0%		85.1	76^th of 585 public middle schools	87.0%	18	100.0		57.9	55.8	71.8		47.4	66.4	98.4	$12,086	$243	$11,843

Frequently Asked Questions about Pickens County Junior High School

How many students attend Pickens County Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 638 students attended Pickens County Junior High School.

What high school do graduates of Pickens County Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Pickens County Junior High School usually go on to attend Pickens County High School

What is the racial makeup of Pickens County Junior High School?

Students at Pickens County Junior High School are 89% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Pickens County Junior High School a good school?

Pickens County Junior High School ranks 301^st of 578 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Pickens County Junior High School in?

Pickens County

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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.