Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 30319

Zip code 30319, encompassing parts of Brookhaven and Atlanta, is home to five elementary schools serving grades PK through 5 within the DeKalb County school district, and these schools present dramatically different educational experiences for families in the same neighborhood.

The academic leaders are Ashford Park Elementary School and Montgomery Elementary School. Ashford Park ranks in the 91st percentile statewide (5 stars) with math proficiency rates of 75.9%, 71.6%, and 67.6% for grades 3-5, while Montgomery ranks in the 85th percentile (4 stars) with math proficiency of 72.3%, 59.6%, and 63.2% across the same grades. Both schools have very low chronic absenteeism (5.5% and 6.8%, respectively) and serve relatively affluent populations, with only about 15% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. At the other end of the spectrum, John Robert Lewis Elementary School and Woodward Elementary School rank in the 6th-8th percentile (0 stars), with math proficiency rates between 17-25%—roughly half the district average and a third of the state average. Cary Reynolds Elementary School falls in between, ranking in the 12th percentile (1 star) with 3rd-grade math proficiency at 30.4% but dropping to just 17.5% by 5th grade.

The most striking finding is the stark socioeconomic divide: the three lower-performing schools serve populations where 85-88% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, compared to just 15% at the top two schools. Interestingly, higher spending does not translate to better outcomes—Cary Reynolds spends the most per student ($24,894) yet ranks in the bottom 12%, while Ashford Park spends the least ($16,844) and achieves the best results. Chronic absenteeism follows the same pattern, with John Robert Lewis (19.4%) and Woodward (18.2%) exceeding the state average of 17.7%, while Ashford Park and Montgomery are well below it. Montgomery has shown a concerning downward trend, dropping from the 94th to 85th percentile, with 4th-grade math falling 16 points year-over-year. For parents, this zip code offers a choice between top-tier schools and schools facing significant challenges, with the gap in math proficiency between Ashford Park and John Robert Lewis exceeding 50 percentage points.