Summary:
Zip code 31055 (Mc Rae Helena, Georgia) is home to just one middle school—Telfair County Middle School—serving grades 6 through 8 with 344 students in the Telfair County district.
This school stands out for its remarkable recent momentum. In 2025-2026, 8th-grade Social Studies proficiency hit 52.9%—a whopping 12.7 points above the state average (40.2%) and a 19.2-point jump from the prior year. Science also exceeds state levels (33% vs. 29.7%), and 8th-grade math edges out the state (46.6% vs. 46.3%). Every subject and grade improved year-over-year, with gains ranging from +3.3 to +19.2 points. That broad-based progress helped the school climb from the 46th percentile in state rankings (2024-2025) to the 63rd percentile (2025-2026), earning a 3-star rating. However, math in 6th and 7th grades still trails the state by 2.2 and 5.0 points, respectively, suggesting the school’s math support becomes more effective in later grades. The school invests heavily in students—$15,397 per pupil and an 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio—while 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a high-poverty population.
The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism: 26.8% of students are chronically absent, well above the state rate of 17.7% and the district’s 21.5%. This could threaten future gains if not addressed. Because this is the district’s only middle school, its scores mirror district averages almost exactly. English Language Arts (ELA) scores for 2025-2026 have not yet been released, so no conclusions can be drawn about current ELA performance. Overall, Telfair County Middle School is on a strong upward trajectory, with exceptional 8th-grade social studies and science, but attendance remains a key risk factor for sustaining improvement.
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