Summary:
There are five elementary schools serving zip code 30701 in Calhoun, Georgia, spanning two districts—Calhoun City and Gordon County—with a combined enrollment of roughly 3,077 students across grades Pre-K through 5, all in a high-poverty area where free/reduced lunch rates exceed 90%.
Sonoraville Elementary is the clear standout, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 72nd percentile statewide. It beats state averages in nearly every subject—5th grade math proficiency is 61.7% versus the state’s 42.6%—while posting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the group at just 7.5%. It also achieves these results while spending less per student ($13,745) than the two lowest-performing schools, Red Bud Elementary School ($13,900) and Belwood Elementary School ($14,351). Calhoun Primary School shows solid 3rd grade math (50.6%, above state), while Calhoun Early Learning Academy raises concerns with an 18.1% chronic absenteeism rate and a student-teacher ratio of 27.9—nearly double the next highest in the area.
Attendance strongly tracks performance: Sonoraville’s low absenteeism pairs with top scores, while Red Bud (11.8% absenteeism) and Belwood (10.8%) lag behind state averages in most subjects. Red Bud’s 3rd grade ELA proficiency is just 18.8%, less than half the state’s 34.9%, and its state ranking has slipped from the 54th to 47th percentile. Belwood shows a sharp 5th grade math drop (36.6% versus 48.2% in 3rd grade), suggesting a transition challenge. Despite all five schools serving similarly high-poverty populations, outcomes vary dramatically—Sonoraville’s 5th grade ELA proficiency (60.6%) exceeds Red Bud’s (37.5%) by 23.1 points. This shows school-level factors like attendance culture and instructional quality matter more than poverty alone. For parents, Sonoraville is the strongest choice, while Calhoun Primary offers solid early math, and the Early Learning Academy warrants questions about staffing and attendance support.
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