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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.

Wacona Elementary School

Q: Is Wacona Elementary School a good school?

Wacona Elementary School ranks 688 th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

688^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Wacona Elementary School in Waycross, GA, serves approximately 885 students in grades PK-5, making it the largest elementary school in the Ware County district—more than double the enrollment of most nearby elementaries—and it serves a predominantly low-income community, with 86.4% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

One of the most encouraging trends at Wacona is its dramatic improvement in chronic absenteeism, which dropped from 20.7% in 2022-2023 to 13.2% in 2025-2026—now the lowest rate among all Ware County elementary schools, and well below both the district average (19.5%) and state average (17.7%). This is a notable bright spot given the school’s high poverty rate. However, overall academic performance has slipped: the school currently ranks in the 44th percentile statewide (2 stars), down from the 60th percentile (3 stars) the previous year. A striking pattern emerges in math, where 4th graders have consistently outperformed other grades—reaching 65.3% proficiency in 2024-2025, which beat the district, state, and even nearby high-performing Pierce County schools. That success dropped to 52.1% in 2025-2026, still above the state average, but 3rd grade math proficiency (24%) remains a significant concern, lagging far behind district peers like Center Elementary (33.4%-50%).

Wacona’s student-teacher ratio of 18.8:1 is notably higher than all comparable schools (which range from 10.8:1 to 14.1:1), even though per-student spending ($15,307) is higher than several higher-performing peers. Within Ware County, Wacona ranks lowest among the five elementary schools, and it faces significant achievement gaps compared to nearby Pierce County schools like Midway Elementary, which achieves 70.4% proficiency in 3rd grade math versus Wacona’s 24%. The school’s ranking history shows fluctuation—peaking at the 74th percentile in 2018-2019—and subgroup data reveals challenges in serving specific student populations. Still, the absenteeism success and pockets of strong 4th grade math suggest targeted interventions in early-grade math and continued engagement strategies could help reverse the current downward trend.

885

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,307

Per pupil spending ?

86.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

3101 State St
Waycross, GA 31503

(912) 287-2362

District: Ware County

Students who attend Wacona Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.6%

African American:

27.1%

Hispanic:

8.8%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (38% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg47%

Georgia avg47%

688^th of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 46% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Ware County

68^th of 202Ware 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	39.0	688 of 1222	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.6	664 of 1238	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.1	504 of 1236	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.0	587 of 1223	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.3	553 of 1220	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.8	610 of 1214	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.4	316 of 1234	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	64.1	386 of 1209	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.8	585 of 1205	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.9	568 of 1233	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.3	574 of 1240	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	67.9	442 of 1231	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.8	640 of 1225	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	70.4	380 of 1201	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.1	487 of 1212	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.9	626 of 1183	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	66.7	398 of 1133	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.5	423 of 1134	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.4	608 of 1125	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	61.7	478 of 1101	56.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	22.3	692 of 829	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	733 of 892	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.9	417 of 879	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.8	549 of 870	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	536 of 876	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	32.9	771 of 1189	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.8	660 of 1224	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.6	496 of 1223	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.0	666 of 1212	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	621 of 1206	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	581 of 1186	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.8	670 of 1225	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	510 of 1220	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	536 of 1210	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	492 of 1209	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	309 of 466	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.0	349 of 565	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.4	345 of 487	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.1	230 of 455	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.3	197 of 415	52.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	545 of 703	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.0	490 of 769	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	501 of 772	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.8	524 of 775	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.1	519 of 779	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

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+7 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)34th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-21 vs school

African American (2026)17th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science38%-6 vs state

Mathematics37%-10 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Wacona 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
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%)	39	688^th of 1222 public elementary schools	43.7%		41.6	664^th of 1238 public elementary schools	46.4%	24	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	584^th of 1222 public elementary schools	52.2%		46.7	609^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.8%	25	44.0	61.6	30.3		36.8	$14,702	$1,429	$13,274
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	456^th of 1222 public elementary schools	62.7%		46.1	612^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.6%	156	33.4	60.5	45.6		55.9	$15,748	$1,149	$14,599
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	—	166 (48.0%)	125 (36.1%)	16 (4.6%)	10 (2.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.5%)	55.8	485^th of 1222 public elementary schools	60.3%		51.6	545^th of 1238 public elementary schools	56.0%	60	43.4	46.0	49.2		49.2	$16,914	$2,249	$14,666
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	335^th of 1222 public elementary schools	72.6%		58.3	459^th of 1238 public elementary schools	62.9%	124	49.4	57.5	54.8		56.4	$14,764	$1,297	$13,467
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 1222 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
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	—	157 (43.3%)	119 (32.8%)	62 (17.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.3%)	72.7	295^th of 1222 public elementary schools	75.9%		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
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	—	537 (65.5%)	124 (15.1%)	91 (11.1%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (7.3%)	71.1	312^th of 1222 public elementary schools	74.5%		73.9	284^th of 1238 public elementary schools	77.1%	28	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 1222 public elementary schools	75.3%		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
Patterson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3414 Drawdy St	Patterson	31557	Pierce County	Pierce County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 647-5373	465	34	13.7	88.0%	371 (79.8%)	28 (6.0%)	44 (9.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.3%)	81.5	208^th of 1222 public elementary schools	83.0%		87	161^st of 1238 public elementary schools	87.0%	47	85.9	75.0	53.5		49.3	$14,367	$909	$13,458

Frequently Asked Questions about Wacona Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Wacona Elementary School attend?

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

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

What district is Wacona Elementary School in?

Ware County

What is the racial makeup of Wacona Elementary School?

Students at Wacona Elementary School are 58% White, 27% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend Wacona Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 885 students attended Wacona Elementary School.

Is Wacona Elementary School a good school?

Wacona Elementary School ranks 688^th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Wacona Elementary 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.