Summary:
Zip code 30606 in Athens, Georgia is served by two public middle schools—Clarke Middle School and Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School—both part of the Clarke County School District and both serving grades 6-8 with nearly identical enrollments of roughly 700-718 students.
These two schools are remarkably similar in resources—spending about $19,200 per student and maintaining student-to-teacher ratios around 11.3:1—yet they show distinct academic strengths. Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School stands out as a math powerhouse, posting a 90.2% proficiency rate in Algebra I End-of-Course assessments, nearly double the state average of 48.1%. Even more impressive, its 7th-grade math proficiency (42.4%) edges out the state average (42.0%), and its 8th-grade math score (44.4%) nearly matches the state (46.3%)—all while serving a student body where 100% qualify for free/reduced lunch. Clarke Middle School counters with stronger science and social studies scores (37.4% and 35.2% respectively, versus 30.7% and 30.3% at Burney-Harris-Lyons) and also achieves an 89.4% Algebra I proficiency rate. Both schools rank nearly identically statewide—327th and 329th out of 578—and both dramatically outperform their district's Algebra I average of 36.9%.
Families should note that both schools face challenges with chronic absenteeism, with rates of 26.6% at Clarke and 21.8% at Burney-Harris-Lyons, both well above the state's 17.7%. Grade-level math scores in 6th-8th generally hover below state averages, though the exceptional Algebra I results suggest strong acceleration programs for advanced students. English Language Arts scores were not included in this data release and will be available in December. For parents choosing between these two schools, the decision may come down to subject priorities: Burney-Harris-Lyons for mathematics, Clarke for science and social studies—with both offering comparable resources and nearly identical overall rankings.
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