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Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School

Q: Is Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School a good school?

Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School ranks 774 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

774^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School in Jesup, GA, serves 543 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Wayne County school district, and it has earned a 2-star rating while ranking in the 37th percentile statewide—a modest improvement from its recent low point.

The most encouraging news for parents is the school's dramatic progress on attendance. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 31.8% in 2021-2022 to just 16.3% in 2025-2026, which is now actually better than the state average (17.7%) and the lowest among all elementary schools in Wayne County. This suggests the school's efforts to engage families and get kids to class are really paying off. The school also shows notable strengths with specific groups of students—it ranks in the 57th percentile statewide for special education students and the 50th percentile for African American students, both of which are stronger than its overall ranking. With a favorable 12:1 student-teacher ratio and higher-than-average per-student spending ($14,693), the school is clearly investing resources into its students.

However, there are real challenges to be aware of, particularly in upper elementary math. While 3rd grade math proficiency (43.6%) is close to the state average, 5th grade math proficiency drops to just 25.3%—well below the state's 44.1% and trailing nearby schools like Screven Elementary (44.8%), Odum Elementary (57.1%), Jesup Elementary (36.6%), and Bacon Elementary (32.1%). This pattern has persisted for three years, suggesting a cumulative learning gap that widens as students progress. On a brighter note, 5th grade science proficiency (34.9%) is much closer to the state average, and the school's improving attendance and modest ranking gains suggest foundational supports are strengthening—which could lead to broader academic improvements in the years ahead.

543

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,693

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1206 N 4th St
Jesup, GA 31545

(912) 427-1044

District: Wayne County

Students who attend Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Arthur Williams Middle School
High:	Wayne County High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

37.2%

White:

36.3%

Hispanic:

18.8%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

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: Rebounding — 29th percentile in 2023 → 37th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 37th (2026) from a 29th-percentile low (2023)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (36% vs 47% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 12 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg44%

Georgia avg47%

774^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Wayne County

80^th of 201Wayne 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	33.8	774 of 1219	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.7	823 of 1238	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	840 of 1236	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	863 of 1223	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	832 of 1220	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	638 of 1214	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.3	607 of 1234	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.1	628 of 1209	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.1	676 of 1205	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.5	663 of 1233	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.7	807 of 1240	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	30.8	968 of 1231	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.3	1000 of 1225	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.6	820 of 1201	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.5	648 of 1212	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	39.1	833 of 1183	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.5	835 of 1125	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	38.7	772 of 1101	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	413 of 828	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.5	629 of 892	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	613 of 879	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	420 of 870	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.8	518 of 876	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	763 of 1186	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.1	861 of 1224	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	729 of 1223	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.6	674 of 1212	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	755 of 1206	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	316 of 503	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	15.9	537 of 583	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	45.1	294 of 565	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	34.9	758 of 1183	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.2	787 of 1225	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.5	907 of 1220	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	1006 of 1210	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	881 of 1209	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	51.9	199 of 465	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.3	317 of 565	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	336 of 487	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	326 of 455	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.2	270 of 415	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	17.8	608 of 700	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.6	585 of 769	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	662 of 772	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	721 of 775	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	700 of 779	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)57th percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)50th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile~ school

Male (2026)36th percentile~ school

Female (2026)36th percentile~ school

White (2026)13th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics36%-12 vs state

Science35%-9 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Mrse is an excellent school with the best teachers and students ever!! Close Quote

Schools Near Martha Rawls Smith 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 Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1206 N 4th St	Jesup	31545	Wayne County	Wayne County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 427-1044	543	45	12.0	100.0%	197 (36.3%)	202 (37.2%)	102 (18.8%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.8%)	33.8	774^th of 1219 public elementary schools	36.5%		30.7	823^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	33.5%	49	43.6	39.2	25.3	34.9	$14,693	$1,558	$13,136
Bacon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1425 W Orange St	Jesup	31545	Wayne County	Wayne County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 427-1077	690	48	14.5	100.0%	393 (57.0%)	147 (21.3%)	85 (12.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (9.3%)	45.6	608^th of 1219 public elementary schools	50.1%		37.9	713^th of 1238 public elementary schools	42.4%	105	47.6	49.5	32.1	39.4	$13,569	$1,405	$12,164
Jesup Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1155 S US Highway 301	Jesup	31546	Wayne County	Wayne County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 427-1033	706	53	13.2	100.0%	391 (55.4%)	178 (25.2%)	76 (10.8%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.8%)	37	719^th of 1219 public elementary schools	41.0%		38	710^th of 1238 public elementary schools	42.6%	9	25.5	47.4	36.6	37.5	$12,960	$1,021	$11,939
Long County Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	50 Martin Luther King Jr. Stre	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(912) 545-2367	905	45	20.0	78.3%	374 (41.3%)	226 (25.0%)	220 (24.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	76 (8.4%)								(n/a)					$11,197	$560	$10,637
Smiley Elementary School	Public	2-3	1530 Ga Highway 57	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 545-2147	765	48	15.9	77.3%	323 (42.2%)	202 (26.4%)	154 (20.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	76 (9.9%)								(n/a)	47.0				$10,345	$532	$9,813
Odum Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1 Blue Jay Drive	Odum	31555	Wayne County	Wayne County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 586-2225	441	30	14.9	73.5%	385 (87.3%)	4 (0.9%)	29 (6.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	85.4	175^th of 1219 public elementary schools	85.6%		82.9	203^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	83.6%	28	70.3	76.9	57.1	57.1	$13,112	$1,188	$11,924
McClelland Elementary School	Public	4-5	2015 US Highway 84 E	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 545-7910	694	42	16.3	80.3%	304 (43.8%)	172 (24.8%)	137 (19.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)	71 (10.2%)	36	735^th of 1219 public elementary schools	39.7%		33.2	795^th of 1238 public elementary schools	35.8%	60		41.0	23.8	42.5	$10,375	$642	$9,732
Screven Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	414 School St	Screven	31560	Wayne County	Wayne County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 579-2261	225	19	11.8		180 (80.0%)	20 (8.9%)	22 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	63	397^th of 1219 public elementary schools	67.4%		36.4	730^th of 1238 public elementary schools	41.0%	333	54.8	48.5	44.8	55.2	$18,100	$1,808	$16,292
Taylors Creek Elementary School	Public	K-5	378 Airport Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 369-0378	765	50	15.3	88.6%	187 (24.4%)	361 (47.2%)	127 (16.6%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	78 (10.2%)	89.7	131^st of 1219 public elementary schools	89.3%		72.5	302^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	75.6%	171	65.0	78.2	67.5	68.4	$12,668	$949	$11,719
Waldo Pafford Elementary School	Public	K-5	2550 15th St	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 877-4188	741	49	15.1	83.1%	84 (11.3%)	443 (59.8%)	120 (16.2%)	10 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.5%)	72 (9.7%)	27.9	863^rd of 1219 public elementary schools	29.2%		30.6	826^th of 1238 public elementary schools	33.3%	37	37.4	34.1	22.8	35.4	$12,619	$982	$11,637

Frequently Asked Questions about Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School

What district is Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School in?

Wayne County

What is the racial makeup of Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School?

Students at Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School are 37% African American, 36% White, 19% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Arthur Williams Middle School
High : Wayne County High School

Is Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School a good school?

Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School ranks 774^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 543 students attended Martha Rawls Smith 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.