Summary:
Zip code 30144 in Kennesaw, Georgia, is served by two middle schools—Palmer Middle School and Awtrey Middle School—which together educate roughly 1,396 students in grades 6-8 within the Cobb County School District, a district ranked 58th out of 201 in Georgia.
These two schools offer very different academic profiles. Awtrey is the smaller school (593 students) and posts a slightly better overall ranking (221st vs. Palmer’s 235th), but Palmer (803 students) shines in advanced coursework, with a remarkable 100% proficiency in Algebra I and 88% in high school Physical Science—both far above state averages. In standard grade-level math, the schools are nearly mirror images: Awtrey excels in 6th grade (54.6% proficient vs. state’s 40.7%) but fades by 8th grade (38.0%, below state), while Palmer struggles in 6th grade (28.7%) but surges to 50.2% proficiency in 8th grade, beating the state average. Science is a clear weak spot for Awtrey, where only 15.0% of 8th graders are proficient—less than half the state rate—while Palmer’s 30.6% is closer to the state mark. Both schools outperform state averages in social studies and advanced courses, and both keep chronic absenteeism well below the state average of 17.7%.
Resources tell an interesting story: Awtrey spends $3,293 more per student ($17,900 vs. $14,607) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (12.8:1 vs. 16:1), yet these advantages don’t translate into clearly superior results. Palmer’s ranking has been volatile—it was 164th in 2023-2024, dipped to 254th, then improved to 235th—while Awtrey has stayed remarkably stable between 214th and 221st. With similar socioeconomic profiles (free/reduced lunch rates of 53% and 48%), the differences likely stem from instructional approaches rather than demographics. For parents, the choice depends on their child’s needs: Awtrey offers strong early math and more individualized attention, while Palmer excels in advanced coursework and late-middle-school math.
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