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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 30721

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

5,294

Students

Districts

Top rankedNew Hope Elementary School354^th of 1,222 Georgia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Varnell Elementary School up 159 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Roan Elementary School 10.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

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Summary:

The 11 elementary schools in zip code 30721, serving the Dalton, Georgia area across Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County, educate roughly 5,250 students in grades PK-5, with nearly all schools serving predominantly low-income families.

For parents, the standout choice is Pleasant Grove Elementary School, which ranks highest in the area (69th percentile) and posts the strongest math scores—63% proficient in 3rd grade and 65% in 5th grade—despite 100% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Varnell Elementary School is a close second (65th percentile), with excellent 3rd grade math (58.7%) and the best 3rd grade ELA in the cohort at 51%, well above district and state averages. Beaverdale Elementary School (55th percentile) and Park Creek Elementary School (52nd percentile, improving 78 spots) round out the top tier. On the other end, Dawnville Elementary School ranks lowest (11th percentile) with the highest chronic absenteeism (18.4%) and math proficiency rates in the low 20s, while Blue Ridge Elementary School (18th percentile) and Eastside Elementary School (14th percentile) also struggle significantly.

A key takeaway is that spending does not predict success: Roan Elementary School spends the most per student ($19,348) yet ranks in the bottom 20%, while Pleasant Grove and Varnell spend the least yet outperform. Chronic absenteeism shows a complex relationship—Roan has the lowest rate (4.3%) but poor outcomes, whereas Pleasant Grove combines low absenteeism with top performance. Science proficiency lags state averages across nearly all schools, and several schools show a troubling decline in math from 3rd to 5th grade, suggesting cumulative learning gaps. Parents should also note significant year-over-year volatility, with Valley Point Elementary School dropping 188 ranking spots and showing a 38-point swing between 4th and 5th grade math, indicating that cohort size and grade-level transitions can heavily influence results.

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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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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
Roan Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1116 Roan St	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 226-3225	421	41	10.2	29.9%	21 (5.0%)	18 (4.3%)	380 (90.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	20.6	978^th of 1222 public elementary schools	20.0%		32.3	802^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	35.2%	176	36.6	26.0	25.4	22.4	$19,348	$1,102	$18,246
Park Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Hale Bowen Dr	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 428-7700	604	52	11.5	21.5%	44 (7.3%)	19 (3.1%)	523 (86.6%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	47.4	587^th of 1222 public elementary schools	52.0%		41.7	663^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	46.4%	76	30.9	49.3	51.1	41.6	$16,988	$990	$15,997
Blue Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 S Bogle St	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Dalton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 260-2700	632	58	10.9	19.0%	26 (4.1%)	8 (1.3%)	590 (93.4%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	19.2	1007^th of 1222 public elementary schools	17.6%		17.3	1044^th of 1238 public elementary schools	15.7%	37	34.9	29.5	18.7	24.2	$16,255	$913	$15,342
Dawnville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1380 Dawnville Rd NE	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 259-3914	413	36	11.5	26.2%	150 (36.3%)	18 (4.4%)	222 (53.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.8%)	14.8	1084^th of 1222 public elementary schools	11.3%		20.3	992^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	19.9%	92	25.9	25.1	22.6	21.1	$14,873	$585	$14,288
Pleasant Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2725 Cleveland Hwy	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 259-3920	451	36	12.3	18.4%	146 (32.4%)	14 (3.1%)	276 (61.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.9%)	65.2	380^th of 1222 public elementary schools	68.9%		67.2	362^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	70.8%	18	63.0	45.5	65.1	43.7	$14,247	$839	$13,409
Varnell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4421 Highway 2	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 694-3471	350	26	13.2	22.9%	208 (59.4%)	10 (2.9%)	114 (32.6%)	8 (2.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	60.5	428^th of 1222 public elementary schools	65.0%		48.5	587^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.6%	159	58.7	59.7	45.3	34.0	$14,237	$724	$13,513
Eastside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	102 Hill Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 278-3074	579	49	11.7	31.4%	85 (14.7%)	8 (1.4%)	480 (82.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	16.4	1056^th of 1222 public elementary schools	13.6%		26.3	901^st of 1238 public elementary schools	27.2%	155	27.5	30.8	17.8	22.2	$14,855	$729	$14,126
Antioch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1819 Riverbend Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 278-7550	446	40	11.1	23.8%	121 (27.1%)	5 (1.1%)	304 (68.2%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	35.6	743^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	39.2%		37.4	721^st of 1238 public elementary schools	41.8%	22	36.5	48.1	35.4	24.6	$16,374	$746	$15,628
New Hope Elementary School	Public	K-5	1175 New Hope Rd NW	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 673-3180	511	37	13.8	22.1%	285 (55.8%)	18 (3.5%)	174 (34.1%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.1%)	67.3	354^th of 1222 public elementary schools	71.0%		54.3	509^th of 1238 public elementary schools	58.9%	155	45.7	52.5	56.2	58.0	$13,992	$698	$13,293
Beaverdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9196 Highway 2	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 275-4414	488	42	11.7	21.3%	353 (72.3%)	7 (1.4%)	102 (20.9%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.1%)	49.7	547^th of 1222 public elementary schools	55.2%		47	608^th of 1238 public elementary schools	50.9%	61	57.5	39.3	50.7	27.9	$16,773	$1,046	$15,727
Cedar Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	285 Cedar Ridge Rd	Dalton	30721	Whitfield County	Whitfield County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 712-8400	399	34	11.7	28.6%	140 (35.1%)	6 (1.5%)	234 (58.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	33.2	779^th of 1222 public elementary schools	36.3%		32.3	803^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	35.1%	24	51.0	27.9	35.8	26.4	$15,937	$609	$15,327

Cities Near Zip Code 30721

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Dalton	0.43 mi	29	220^th
Rocky Face	6.62 mi	2	116^th
Chatsworth	7.09 mi	10	181^st
Tunnel Hill	7.36 mi	3	143^rd
Eton	10.31 mi	1	351^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.