Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

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.

Ware County High School

Q: Is Ware County High School a good school?

Ware County High School ranks 115 th of 457 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

115^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 457 Georgia High Schools

Better than 75% of Georgia high schools

Summary

Ware County High School in Waycross, GA, is a large public high school serving 1,633 students in grades 9–12 within the Ware County district. The school has shown a remarkable turnaround this year, jumping to the 75th percentile statewide (rank 115 out of 455) after sitting at the 59th percentile the previous year.

The most impressive headline is the graduation rate: 95.4% for 2024–2025, a massive leap from 80.5% the year before and well above the state average of 87.2%. This rate nearly matches Pierce County High School (95.9%), a school that otherwise outperforms Ware County on most academic measures. Ware County also shines in Biology (53.5% proficiency vs. 47.2% statewide) and Algebra I (58.7% vs. 48.1% statewide), though U.S. History proficiency (41.5%) is only slightly above the state average. However, a major concern is chronic absenteeism: 24.6% of students miss significant school time, compared to 17.7% statewide and 16.3% at Pierce County. This paradox—high graduation rates alongside high absenteeism—suggests the school has strong credit recovery and support systems, but it also raises questions about daily engagement and depth of learning.

Financially, Ware County spends $13,956 per student, less than the previous year and higher than Pierce County’s $10,679, yet it serves a student body where over 84% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s recent ranking rebound and graduation-rate surge point to positive momentum, possibly from new initiatives or leadership. While it doesn’t match Pierce County’s top-tier test scores, Ware County is clearly effective at guiding students to graduation despite greater socioeconomic challenges. For parents, this is a school that gets students across the finish line, but one where attendance and consistent academic performance across all subjects remain areas to watch.

1,633

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,956

Per pupil spending ?

84.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

700 Victory Dr
Waycross, GA 31503

(912) 287-2351

District: Ware County

Feeder schools for Ware County High School:

Elementary:	Center Elementary School
	Memorial Drive Elementary School
	Ruskin Elementary School
	Wacona Elementary School
	More...
	Waresboro Elementary School
	Williams Heights Elementary School
Middle:	Ware County Middle School
	Waycross Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.8%

African American:

39.9%

Hispanic:

8.8%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare Ware County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 65th percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Georgia average (52% vs 45% meeting standards)

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Georgia average (87%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg53%

Georgia avg45%

115^th of 457

Georgia public high schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	59.1	115 of 457	74.8%	★★★★☆
2025	47.1	183 of 451	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	149 of 454	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	104 of 448	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	57.6	126 of 431	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	59.9	111 of 410	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	66.7	91 of 438	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	56.2	126 of 428	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	60.3	92 of 420	78.1%	★★★★☆
2016	50.8	150 of 426	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	46.3	173 of 435	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	70.5	73 of 425	82.8%	★★★★☆
2013	52.7	185 of 425	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.4	108 of 396	72.7%	★★★★☆
2011	68.1	109 of 402	72.9%	★★★★☆
2010	52.4	183 of 384	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	40.1	260 of 372	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.8	229 of 370	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	27.8	293 of 358	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.7	282 of 335	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	49.5	143 of 377	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.3	213 of 391	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.2	142 of 382	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.1	98 of 384	74.5%	★★★★☆
2022	64.5	86 of 372	76.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	88.6	10 of 180	94.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	62.9	102 of 431	76.3%	★★★★☆
2025	43.5	207 of 438	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.7	146 of 435	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.0	91 of 433	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	71.1	82 of 430	80.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	65 of 299	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	58.1	84 of 312	73.1%	★★★★☆
2024	77.5	41 of 315	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	26 of 308	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	80.9	36 of 295	87.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	131 of 436	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	50.7	168 of 442	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	150 of 436	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	119 of 436	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	62.3	111 of 427	74.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	60.9	43 of 123	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	77 of 149	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.5	89 of 158	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.7	62 of 141	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	16.2	110 of 126	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	87 of 339	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	56.0	119 of 347	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.6	74 of 344	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	67.1	73 of 343	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.1	100 of 331	69.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	90 of 334	73.1%	★★★★☆
2025	47.2	147 of 341	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	131 of 346	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	104 of 343	69.7%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	93 of 339	72.6%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)94th percentile+35 vs school

Hispanic (2026)78th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)76th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)74th percentile~ school

White (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)70th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)65th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2026)62nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I59%+11 vs state

Biology54%+6 vs state

United States History42%+3 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Ware County High School and help other families decide.

Rate Ware County High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Ware County High School

Load more schools when map is moved

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)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (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 Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ware County High School	Public	9-12	700 Victory Dr	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2351	1,633	116	14.1	84.1%	715 (43.8%)	651 (39.9%)	143 (8.8%)	12 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	107 (6.6%)	59.1	115^th of 457 public high schools	74.8%		47.1	183^rd of 451 public high schools	59.4%	68	58.7	53.5	41.5						$13,956	$849	$13,107
Waycross Regional Youth Detention Center	Public	5-12	3275 Harris Rd	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-6680	7	2	3.5	—	3 (42.9%)	4 (57.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Pierce County High School	Public	9-12	4850 County Farm Rd	Blackshear	31516	Pierce County	Pierce County	No	No	No	No	(912) 449-2055	1,053	65	16.3	78.0%	788 (74.8%)	79 (7.5%)	117 (11.1%)	11 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (5.3%)	76.7	50^th of 457 public high schools	89.1%		82.3	42^nd of 451 public high schools	90.7%	8	88.4	69.5	36.8						$10,679	$301	$10,377

Frequently Asked Questions about Ware County High School

How many students attend Ware County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,633 students attended Ware County High School.

What is the racial makeup of Ware County High School?

Students at Ware County High School are 44% White, 40% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Ware County High School?

Ware County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Center Elementary School
Elementary : Memorial Drive Elementary School
Elementary : Ruskin Elementary School
Elementary : Wacona Elementary School
Elementary : Waresboro Elementary School
Elementary : Williams Heights Elementary School
Middle : Ware County Middle School
Middle : Waycross Middle School

What district is Ware County High School in?

Ware County

Is Ware County High School a good school?

Ware County High School ranks 115^th of 457 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Ware County High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

GAGeorgia High School Rankings

GAGeorgia District Rankings

Schools in Waycross, GA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Ware County High School!

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.