Summary:
Zip code 30512, serving the Blairsville area of Union County, Georgia, is home to two elementary schools—Union County Primary School (grades PK-2) and Union County Elementary School (grades 3-5)—which together educate roughly 1,418 students in a coordinated feeder system within the highly rated Union County district.
Union County Elementary stands out for its strong and stable academic record, consistently ranking in the 70th percentile of Georgia elementary schools and earning 4-star ratings in two of the past three years. Its most impressive recent result is a dramatic jump in 3rd-grade math proficiency, from 53% to 71.2%—now nearly 23 points above the state average. However, math performance declines sharply as students advance, dropping to 58.8% in 4th grade and 43.0% in 5th grade, the latter falling just below the state average. In contrast, the school’s most recent English Language Arts scores (from 2024-2025) show consistent strength, outperforming state averages by about 7.5 points in every grade. Science proficiency in 5th grade (43.0%) essentially matches the state average, making it a relative weak spot. Union County Primary School, while lacking individual ranking data, shows solid operational metrics with a slightly higher per-student spend ($16,740 vs. $13,902) and a similar student-teacher ratio (14.1:1 vs. 14.8:1).
Both schools serve predominantly low-income populations—over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch—yet they achieve results that defy that challenge. Chronic absenteeism is below the state average at both schools (13.7% at the elementary, 16.9% at the primary), and the district itself ranks in the 81st percentile statewide. The primary school’s higher absenteeism rate and the elementary school’s declining upper-grade math scores are worth monitoring, but overall this is a high-performing, efficient pair of schools. The strong 3rd-grade math gains suggest the PK-2 program is preparing students well, though sustaining that momentum through 5th grade appears to be the next opportunity for improvement.
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