Summary:
Zip code 30215 in Fayetteville, Georgia, is home to three middle schools serving grades 6 through 8 within the highly-rated Fayette County school district, which ranks in the 94th percentile statewide.
Families in this area have two standout options. Rising Starr Middle School is the academic leader, ranking 24th out of 578 Georgia middle schools (96th percentile) with a 5-star rating. It posts the highest proficiency rates in most subjects, including 82.8% in 8th grade math and 84.6% in 8th grade social studies, while also having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (5.4%) and the lowest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (14.93%). Whitewater Middle School is a close second, ranking 49th (92nd percentile) with a 5-star rating. Its standout feature is a near-perfect 99.3% proficiency rate on the Algebra I End of Course assessment, the highest of the three schools and dramatically above the district average of 72.3%. Both schools have maintained 5-star ratings for three consecutive years.
Bennett's Mill Middle School is the outlier, ranking 204th (65th percentile) with a 3-star rating and showing a downward trend over the past three years. It has a much higher rate of economic disadvantage (63.47% free/reduced lunch) and trails the other two schools by 20-30 percentage points in most subjects, including just 42.8% proficiency in 8th grade physical science—below the state average. However, even Bennett's Mill exceeds state averages in most subjects, and its advanced math students perform well with an 81.3% Algebra I proficiency rate. All three schools share similar enrollments (874-931 students) and student-teacher ratios, yet the performance gap between Bennett's Mill and its neighbors is substantial, highlighting that factors beyond class size and spending drive outcomes in this otherwise strong district.
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