Summary:
Zip code 30141 in Hiram, Georgia, is served by four schools in the Paulding County School District, including one high school and three elementary schools, with a total enrollment of 3,335 students.
For families prioritizing elementary education, McGarity Elementary School stands out as the strongest academic performer. It is the only school in the area with a 3-star rating, and its 3rd-grade math proficiency (60.9%) is nearly double that of Hiram Elementary School (30.7%). McGarity also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at just 8.9%, well below the district average of 16.8%. Sam D. Panter Elementary School offers a consistent 3-star rating over three years, the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.7:1), and the highest per-student spending ($17,082). Panter leads the elementary schools in 5th-grade science proficiency (32.1%) and posted strong English Language Arts scores the prior year. Hiram Elementary School lags behind its peers across nearly every subject, despite serving a similar economically disadvantaged population as Panter.
The picture changes dramatically at the high school level. Hiram High School holds a 2-star rating and posts End of Course proficiency rates in the mid-to-high 20s across Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History—all well below district averages. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.8% affects nearly one in four students, and its graduation rate (86.1%) trails the district (91.6%). This represents a significant drop-off from the elementary schools feeding into it, suggesting challenges in the middle school transition. Notably, spending does not directly predict outcomes: McGarity achieves the best results with the second-lowest spending ($14,716), while Hiram Elementary spends more ($15,256) yet performs worst. For parents, the choice of elementary school matters greatly here, with McGarity and Panter offering clearly stronger programs than Hiram Elementary.
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