Schools in Zip Code 30808

Zip code 30808 in Dearing, GA, is home to a single elementary school, Dearing Elementary School, which serves grades PK-5 and enrolls 414 students in the McDuffie County school system.

Dearing Elementary is a high-poverty school, with nearly 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet it consistently outperforms its district across all tested subjects. In the most recent testing year, the school beat the district average in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade math, as well as 5th grade science. Its strongest area is 5th grade math, where 44.1% of students are proficient—exactly matching the state average and far exceeding the district's 31.0%. The school also posted strong 5th grade ELA results in the prior year (56.3% proficiency vs. 43.0% statewide), though current ELA scores have not yet been released. With a favorable 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $14,940, the school appears well-resourced to support its students.

However, the most recent year brought a significant decline in mathematics proficiency, particularly in 4th grade, which dropped from 47.0% to 29.2%—a 17.8-point collapse that pushed the school's statewide ranking down from the 59th percentile to the 36th percentile. While 3rd grade math improved by 5.6 points, 5th grade math fell by 7.5 points. Chronic absenteeism stands at 18.0%, better than the district's 24.7% but slightly above the state's 17.7%. For parents, this means Dearing Elementary remains a relative strength within its district, with strong upper-elementary math and a history of solid ELA performance, but the recent 4th grade math decline is a clear area of concern that warrants attention.