Best Public Schools in Zip Code 30546

Zip code 30546, serving the Hiawassee area of Towns County, Georgia, is home to three public schools within the Towns County district, which collectively serve approximately 966 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district ranks in the 86th percentile statewide and holds a 4-star rating, with notably high per-student spending (between $18,915 and $21,213) and favorable student-teacher ratios ranging from 9.2 to 11.2 to 1.

Towns County Middle School is the clear academic standout, particularly in mathematics. It achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra I End of Course exam in 2024-2025 and maintained an exceptional 88.2% proficiency in 2025-2026, far exceeding the state average of 48.1%. Its 8th-grade math proficiency (76.1%) was more than 29 points above the state, and it outperforms the state by 26-40 points across all middle school math assessments. Towns County High School also excels, maintaining a 4-star rating for three consecutive years with a 94% graduation rate (state: 87.2%) and strong US History performance (62.5% proficiency vs. 38.5% statewide). Towns County Elementary School performs well in 5th-grade science (56.4% vs. 44.2% statewide) but shows a concerning decline in 4th-grade math, dropping from 60.9% to 35.5% proficiency—14.6 points below the state average.

Key concerns include a high school chronic absenteeism rate of 36.2%, more than double the state average, which contrasts sharply with the elementary school's excellent 5.6% rate. The middle school's absenteeism (18.7%) sits slightly above the state average. There is also a notable discrepancy between the middle school's Algebra I performance (88.2%) and the high school's (56.9%), likely reflecting that advanced students take the course earlier. Despite serving a predominantly low-income population (92-96% free/reduced lunch at elementary and middle schools), the district achieves above-state results in most subjects, demonstrating that high achievement is possible regardless of economic factors. The elementary school's gradual ranking decline (72nd to 57th percentile) warrants attention to prevent future impacts on the middle school's strong performance.