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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 30506

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Georgia rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

At a glance

Schools

3,468

Students

Districts

Top rankedMount Vernon Elementary School340^th of 1,219 Georgia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Chestatee Elementary up 74 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Chestatee Elementary 14.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

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Summary:

Elementary schools in zip code 30506 (Gainesville, GA) serve approximately 3,468 students across five schools spanning grades K-5, split between the Forsyth County and Hall County districts.

Families in this zip code face a striking district divide. Chestatee Elementary, the only Forsyth County school, sits in a top-tier district ranked 7th in the state, yet it is the lowest-performing school within that district—lagging 20+ points behind district averages in 4th grade math and 5th grade science. Meanwhile, Mount Vernon Elementary stands out as the strongest Hall County school, earning a 4-star rating for three straight years and outperforming its district by 15-22 points in math. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism (9.0%) and lowest free/reduced lunch rate (34.15%) among Hall County schools. Wauka Mountain Elementary excels in science, with 55.3% of 5th graders proficient—nearly double the Hall County average and higher than Chestatee. Lanier Elementary and Sardis Elementary rank lowest overall, both with 2-star ratings and the highest poverty rates (62-64% free/reduced lunch).

Key takeaways for parents: Mount Vernon offers the best combination of performance and consistency in Hall County, while Chestatee provides access to a prestigious district but with results below its peers. Wauka Mountain is a hidden gem for science. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at Chestatee (11.8% vs. its district's 8.2%), but all Hall County schools beat their district average. Notably, per-student spending shows no correlation with outcomes—Sardis spends the most ($14,202) yet ranks second-lowest, while Mount Vernon spends the least ($12,368) and achieves the best results. Grade-level trends vary: Chestatee's 3rd grade math (66.2%) far exceeds its 5th grade (52.5%), while Wauka Mountain improves from 3rd to 5th grade. Ultimately, the zip code offers two very different educational experiences depending on the district boundary, with Chestatee families gaining elite district resources and Hall County families seeing wider performance variation among schools.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chestatee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6945 Keith Bridge Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Forsyth County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 887-2341	1,159	82	14.2	42.5%	868 (74.9%)	21 (1.8%)	222 (19.2%)	9 (0.8%)	7 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (2.7%)	67.5	348^th of 1219 public elementary schools	71.5%		61.4	422^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	65.9%	74	66.2	54.0	52.5	44.7	$14,049	$529	$13,520
Mount Vernon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4844 Jim Hood Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	No	(770) 983-1759	650	40	16.1	34.2%	551 (84.8%)	6 (0.9%)	74 (11.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.6%)	68	340^th of 1219 public elementary schools	72.1%		72.6	300^th of 1238 public elementary schools	75.8%	40	57.7	64.9	47.1	44.6	$12,368	$328	$12,040
Wauka Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5850 Brookton Lula Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	No	(770) 983-3221	546	33	16.3	44.0%	456 (83.5%)	11 (2.0%)	52 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.8%)	60.5	426^th of 1219 public elementary schools	65.1%		61.9	415^th of 1238 public elementary schools	66.5%	11	39.8	52.3	51.7	55.3	$12,887	$324	$12,562
Lanier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4782 Thompson Bridge Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 532-8781	557	36	15.6	62.1%	318 (57.1%)	14 (2.5%)	187 (33.6%)	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.2%)	38.4	691^st of 1219 public elementary schools	43.3%		49.2	577^th of 1238 public elementary schools	53.4%	114	34.9	47.8	38.4	32.4	$13,101	$674	$12,427
Sardis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2805 Sardis Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 532-0104	556	38	14.8	63.8%	335 (60.3%)	7 (1.3%)	192 (34.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.4%)	37.1	712^th of 1219 public elementary schools	41.6%		51.3	548^th of 1238 public elementary schools	55.7%	164	31.4	42.0	40.0	35.1	$14,202	$648	$13,554

Cities Near Zip Code 30506

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Gainesville	2.24 mi	35	265^th
Dawsonville	8.59 mi	8	113^th
Oakwood	10.14 mi	4	320^th
Dahlonega	10.93 mi	4	136^th
Lula	11.69 mi	1	201^st

See the top GA Georgia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.