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Ruskin Elementary School

Q: Is Ruskin Elementary School a good school?

Ruskin Elementary School ranks 295 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

295^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Ruskin Elementary School in Waycross, GA, serves 363 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade within the Ware County School District, and it has become one of the region's most impressive turnaround stories.

Over the past six years, Ruskin has climbed from the 16th percentile statewide to the 76th percentile, earning a 4-star rating—a remarkable achievement for a school where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This growth places Ruskin as the top-performing elementary school in Ware County, surpassing Waresboro Elementary School (73rd percentile), Williams Heights Elementary School (63rd percentile), Center Elementary School (52nd percentile), and Wacona Elementary School (44th percentile). The school's 5th graders are particularly strong: 57.6% scored proficient in math and 62.1% in science, far exceeding district and state averages. Science has been a signature subject for three straight years, with proficiency rates consistently 7–18 points above the state. Ruskin also stands out for its low chronic absenteeism (15.2% vs. 19.5% district and 17.7% state) and its equitable results across student subgroups, with African American students ranking in the 76th percentile statewide.

Ruskin's success is especially notable given its high-poverty population. The school invests $17,519 per student—more than nearby Waresboro ($14,764) and Center ($14,702)—and maintains a favorable 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. This investment appears to pay off: all three grade levels met or exceeded state math averages in both 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. While 3rd grade English Language Arts has historically lagged, the school's overall trajectory suggests continued improvement. Ruskin demonstrates that with targeted resources and effective instruction, high-poverty schools can achieve outstanding results.

363

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,519

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3550 Valdosta Hwy
Waycross, GA 31503

(912) 287-2325

District: Ware County

Students who attend Ruskin Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ware County Middle School
High:	Ware County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.3%

African American:

32.8%

Hispanic:

17.1%

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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.

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Georgia average (56% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Georgia elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg47%

Georgia avg47%

295^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 18 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Ware County

67^th of 201Ware 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	72.6	295 of 1219	75.8%	★★★★☆
2025	59.7	437 of 1238	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.4	500 of 1236	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.0	473 of 1223	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	561 of 1220	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.2	631 of 1214	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.5	1041 of 1234	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.2	768 of 1209	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	58.5	443 of 1205	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.1	520 of 1233	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.8	500 of 1240	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	61.8	556 of 1231	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.3	608 of 1225	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.7	678 of 1201	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.5	650 of 1212	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	65.9	444 of 1183	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.1	650 of 1133	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	34.7	830 of 1134	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.1	732 of 1125	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.3	766 of 1101	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	202 of 828	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	51.9	355 of 892	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	376 of 879	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.6	468 of 870	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.5	465 of 876	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	69.9	306 of 1186	74.2%	★★★★☆
2025	63.4	398 of 1224	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	543 of 1223	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.3	467 of 1212	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.1	640 of 1206	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	69.5	321 of 1183	72.9%	★★★★☆
2025	55.7	483 of 1225	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.1	469 of 1220	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.9	473 of 1210	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.2	455 of 1209	62.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	43.8	223 of 455	51.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	246 of 700	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.9	325 of 769	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.5	419 of 772	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.8	266 of 775	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.0	422 of 779	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)76th percentile~ school

Female (2026)74th percentile~ school

Male (2026)73rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)65th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2023)51st percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science62%+18 vs state

Mathematics54%+7 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, July 29, 2018

Ruskin is a great school with awesome teachers who truly care about the students and their achievements.
#RiseUpRuskin Close Quote

Schools Near Ruskin Elementary 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 Mathematics (2026)				Milestones Assessment 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	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ruskin Elementary School	Public	K-5	3550 Valdosta Hwy	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2325	363	31	11.8	100.0%	157 (43.3%)	119 (32.8%)	62 (17.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.3%)	72.6	295^th of 1219 public elementary schools	75.8%		59.7	437^th of 1238 public elementary schools	64.7%	142	50.0	54.4	57.6		62.1	$17,519	$2,696	$14,823
Williams Heights Elementary School	Public	K-5	705 Dewey St	Waycross	31501	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2399	436	33	13.3	80.3%	139 (31.9%)	226 (51.8%)	25 (5.7%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.2%)	57.9	454^th of 1219 public elementary schools	62.8%		46.1	612^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.6%	158	33.4	60.5	45.6		55.9	$15,748	$1,149	$14,599
Waresboro Elementary School	Public	K-5	3379 W Church St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2393	429	35	12.4	81.8%	242 (56.4%)	104 (24.2%)	48 (11.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.5%)	69	334^th of 1219 public elementary schools	72.6%		58.3	459^th of 1238 public elementary schools	62.9%	125	49.4	57.5	54.8		56.4	$14,764	$1,297	$13,467
Wacona Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3101 State St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2362	885	47	18.8	86.4%	510 (57.6%)	240 (27.1%)	78 (8.8%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (5.8%)	38.9	687^th of 1219 public elementary schools	43.6%		41.6	664^th of 1238 public elementary schools	46.4%	23	24.0	52.1	36.5		38.5	$15,307	$1,411	$13,896
Center Elementary School	Public	K-5	2114 Dorothy St	Waycross	31501	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2366	470	35	13.4	95.7%	109 (23.2%)	269 (57.2%)	49 (10.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.3%)	47.5	583^rd of 1219 public elementary schools	52.2%		46.7	609^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.8%	26	44.0	61.6	30.3		36.8	$14,702	$1,429	$13,274
Memorial Drive Elementary School	Public	K-5	2580 Ambrose St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2327	346	32	10.8	100.0%	166 (48.0%)	125 (36.1%)	16 (4.6%)	10 (2.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.5%)	55.8	484^th of 1219 public elementary schools	60.3%		51.6	545^th of 1238 public elementary schools	56.0%	61	43.4	46.0	49.2		49.2	$16,914	$2,249	$14,666
Midway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3244 Midway Church Rd	Blackshear	31516	Pierce County	Pierce County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 807-0084	484	35	13.9	81.0%	387 (80.0%)	9 (1.9%)	67 (13.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.5%)	89.9	128^th of 1219 public elementary schools	89.5%		90.5	127^th of 1238 public elementary schools	89.7%	1	70.4	76.2	57.4		83.6	$14,060	$1,256	$12,804
Blackshear Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5217 Ga Highway 121	Blackshear	31516	Pierce County	Pierce County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 449-2088	820	59	13.8	100.0%	537 (65.5%)	124 (15.1%)	91 (11.1%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (7.3%)	71.1	311^th of 1219 public elementary schools	74.5%		73.9	284^th of 1238 public elementary schools	77.1%	27	57.8	73.0	44.7		48.5	$13,957	$1,399	$12,558
Hoboken Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	224 Church St N	Hoboken	31542	Brantley County	Brantley County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 458-2135	551	39	14.1		493 (89.5%)	8 (1.5%)	32 (5.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	71.8	302^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	75.2%		85.5	180^th of 1238 public elementary schools	85.5%	122	71.8	42.4	49.2	74.1		$13,576	$989	$12,587
Clinch County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1Panther Way	Homerville	31634	Clinch County	Clinch County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 487-5385	625	41	15.4	100.0%	326 (52.2%)	203 (32.5%)	42 (6.7%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (7.7%)	30.3	830^th of 1219 public elementary schools	31.9%		32	807^th of 1238 public elementary schools	34.8%	23	35.4	55.0	22.3		18.1	$14,493	$1,457	$13,037

Frequently Asked Questions about Ruskin Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Ruskin Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ruskin Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ware County Middle School
High : Ware County High School

What district is Ruskin Elementary School in?

Ware County

How many students attend Ruskin Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 363 students attended Ruskin Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Ruskin Elementary School?

Students at Ruskin Elementary School are 43% White, 33% African American, 17% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Ruskin Elementary School a good school?

Ruskin Elementary School ranks 295^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Ruskin Elementary School!

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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.