Summary:
Zip code 30021 is home to a single high school, Clarkston High School, which serves grades 9–12 and is part of the DeKalb County School District, an area characterized by high economic need.
Clarkston High School has engineered a remarkable academic turnaround. In just two years, the school jumped from the 15th percentile (388th in the state) to the 53rd percentile (212th), earning a 3-star rating after previously holding a 1-star rating. Proficiency rates surged dramatically between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026: Algebra I improved by 14 points (from 26.7% to 40.7%), Biology by nearly 16 points (27.4% to 43.2%), and U.S. History by almost 19 points (19.3% to 38.0%). Notably, the school now outperforms its district in all three subjects with available data, despite the fact that 100% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch — a higher poverty rate than the district overall. This across-the-board improvement in math, science, and history suggests systemic changes are taking hold.
However, significant challenges remain. The graduation rate stands at 67.1%, well below the district's 81.4% and the state's 87.2%. The dropout rate of 6.9% is nearly three times the state average, and chronic absenteeism affects 42.6% of students — 2.4 times the state rate. Per-student spending is high at $19,406, likely reflecting the intensive needs of the student body. The school's weakest area in 2024–2025 was American Literature, with only 16.5% proficiency, though ELA scores for the current cycle have not yet been released. While the academic gains are encouraging and the school now ranks in the top half of Georgia high schools, the combination of high poverty, low graduation rates, and widespread absenteeism means this progress could be fragile. Sustaining momentum will require continued focus on attendance and student retention alongside the evident instructional improvements.
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