Summary:
ZIP code 30016 in Covington, Georgia, is home to 7 elementary schools serving grades PK-5, all part of the Newton County School District, where every student qualifies for free/reduced lunch and the district ranks in the bottom 18% of Georgia districts.
Oak Hill Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking 850th in the state (30th percentile) and earning 2 stars—the only school in the area to do so. Oak Hill posts 5th grade math proficiency of 40.3% (nearly double the district average of 24.1%) and has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 13.6%, roughly half the district average. Livingston Elementary School shows the most improvement, jumping from 1,047th to 950th in state rankings, with the highest 3rd grade math proficiency in the ZIP code at 38.9% and the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.1). At the other end, South Salem Elementary School ranks 1,192nd of 1,219 schools (2nd percentile), with 5th grade math proficiency dropping to just 8.3% and chronic absenteeism at 27.4%—the highest in the group.
Across the area, performance varies widely by grade level within individual schools. Fairview Elementary jumps from 14.1% in 3rd grade math to 27.0% in 4th grade, while Livingston drops from 38.9% to 17.2% between those same grades. Rocky Plains Elementary School and West Newton Elementary School cluster near district averages, while Live Oak Elementary, the largest school at 936 students, ranks in the bottom 7% statewide. Spending per student ranges from $14,030 to $18,261, but higher spending doesn't guarantee better results—Rocky Plains spends $16,341 yet ranks near the bottom, while Oak Hill achieves top results with mid-range spending. The consistent theme: schools with lower chronic absenteeism (Oak Hill at 13.6%, Livingston at 18.8%) outperform those with higher rates, suggesting attendance culture may be the strongest lever for improvement in this high-poverty area.
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