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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.

Upson-Lee High School

Q: Is Upson-Lee High School a good school?

Upson-Lee High School ranks 255 th of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

255^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 455 Georgia High Schools

Better than 44% of Georgia high schools

Summary

Upson-Lee High School in Thomaston, GA, serves approximately 1,177 students in grades 9-12 within the Thomaston-Upson County district, and has shown a strong upward trajectory this year, climbing from the 24th to the 44th percentile in statewide rankings.

One of the school's standout strengths is its graduation rate. At 92.5% for the 2024-2025 school year, it significantly outperforms the state average of 87.2% and is comparable to the higher-performing Pike County High School (94.9%). The dropout rate of 1.8% is also below the state average of 2.4%, indicating strong student retention. However, chronic absenteeism is a notable challenge, with 26.5% of students missing significant school time—well above the state average of 17.7% and much higher than Pike County's 9.3%, though better than Zebulon High School's 46.0%. This creates an interesting paradox: students are ultimately graduating, but a substantial portion are not consistently attending classes.

Academically, Upson-Lee shows a distinct strength in Biology, with 44% of students scoring proficient—close to the state average of 47.2% and far ahead of nearby Manchester High School (28.8%) and Lamar County High School (28.3%). The school also demonstrated remarkable progress in Algebra I, jumping from 22.9% proficiency to 34.3% in a single year. While still below the state average of 48.1%, this 11.4-point improvement suggests recent instructional changes are working. Per-student spending has increased to $13,256, comparable to Pike County ($13,342) but significantly less than Manchester ($16,316), suggesting efficient use of resources. The school's overall positive momentum—combined with its strong graduation rates and improving test scores—points to a promising path forward for families considering this school.

1,177

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,256

Per pupil spending ?

70.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

268 Knight Trl
Thomaston, GA 30286

(706) 647-8171

District: Thomaston-Upson County

Feeder schools for Upson-Lee High School:

Elementary:	Upson-Lee Elementary School
	Upson-Lee Primary School
Middle:	Upson-Lee Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.1%

African American:

37.4%

Hispanic:

5.8%

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Compare Upson-Lee High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 44th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (36% vs 45% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 18% Georgia)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg39%

Georgia avg45%

255^th of 455

Georgia public high schools ?

Bottom 44%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

103^rd of 201Thomaston-Upson 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	35.2	255 of 455	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.8	341 of 451	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	286 of 454	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.6	289 of 448	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.0	260 of 431	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	282 of 410	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.8	239 of 438	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.7	197 of 428	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.0	208 of 420	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	35.9	239 of 426	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.3	221 of 435	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.8	253 of 425	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.9	292 of 425	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.5	258 of 396	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.2	249 of 402	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.0	222 of 384	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.2	246 of 372	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.9	240 of 370	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.5	206 of 358	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.2	160 of 335	52.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	221 of 376	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.9	314 of 391	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	259 of 382	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	257 of 384	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	243 of 372	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	236 of 431	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.5	341 of 438	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	268 of 435	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	271 of 433	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	290 of 430	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	270 of 312	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.2	137 of 315	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.9	138 of 308	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	103 of 295	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	257 of 436	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.5	337 of 442	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	298 of 436	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	305 of 436	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	290 of 427	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	93 of 123	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.2	140 of 149	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	139 of 158	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	310 of 338	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.3	312 of 347	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	240 of 344	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	245 of 343	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.8	226 of 331	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	27.4	237 of 334	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	307 of 341	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	302 of 346	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	301 of 343	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	304 of 339	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)45th percentile~ school

African American (2026)41st percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)29th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)24th percentile-20 vs school

Hispanic (2025)13th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2026)8th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Biology44%-3 vs state

Algebra I34%-14 vs state

United States History25%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Upson-Lee 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 (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 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
Upson-Lee High School	Public	9-12	268 Knight Trl	Thomaston	30286	Upson County	Thomaston-Upson County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 647-8171	1,177	80	14.6		602 (51.1%)	440 (37.4%)	68 (5.8%)	9 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (4.8%)	35.2	255^th of 455 public high schools	44.0%		22.8	341^st of 451 public high schools	24.4%	86	34.3	44.0	25.4	$13,256	$788	$12,469
GA Baptist Children's Home - Meansville Campus	Public	6-12	2821 US Hwy 19	Meansville	30256	Pike County	Pike County	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(770) 567-3400	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lamar County High School	Public	9-12	1 Trojan Way	Barnesville	30204	Lamar County	Lamar County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 358-8641	831	52	15.9	91.1%	465 (56.0%)	285 (34.3%)	37 (4.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.9%)	38.6	231^st of 455 public high schools	49.2%		38.7	238^th of 451 public high schools	47.2%	7	47.4	28.3	40.7	$12,011	$992	$11,020
Pike County High School	Public	9-12	331 Pirate Dr	Zebulon	30295	Pike County	Pike County	No	No	No	No	(770) 567-8770	1,075	72	15.0	36.5%	934 (86.9%)	72 (6.7%)	34 (3.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (3.0%)	44.5	195^th of 455 public high schools	57.1%		46.3	189^th of 451 public high schools	58.1%	6	33.0	54.7	28.0	$13,342	$1,312	$12,030
Zebulon High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	7360 Highway 19 S	Zebulon	30295	Pike County	Pike County	No	No	Yes	No	(770) 567-8489	34	2	17.0	55.9%	30 (88.2%)	2 (5.9%)	2 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Manchester High School	Public	9-12	405 N 5th Ave	Manchester	31816	Meriwether County	Meriwether County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 846-8445	447	31	14.5	95.1%	154 (34.5%)	241 (53.9%)	17 (3.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.2%)	16.3	384^th of 455 public high schools	15.6%		10.9	415^th of 451 public high schools	8.0%	31	26.9	28.8	9.0	$16,316	$2,140	$14,176

Frequently Asked Questions about Upson-Lee High School

What is the racial makeup of Upson-Lee High School?

Students at Upson-Lee High School are 51% White, 37% African American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Upson-Lee High School in?

Thomaston-Upson County

What schools feed into Upson-Lee High School?

Upson-Lee High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Upson-Lee Elementary School
Elementary : Upson-Lee Primary School
Middle : Upson-Lee Middle School

How many students attend Upson-Lee High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,177 students attended Upson-Lee High School.

Is Upson-Lee High School a good school?

Upson-Lee High School ranks 255^th of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Upson-Lee High School!

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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.