Summary:
Zip code 31210 in Macon, Georgia is home to 7 schools serving approximately 5,614 students from elementary through high school, split between the Bibb County district and the State Specialty Schools II- Academy For Classical Education charter district.
The standout performer in this area is Academy For Classical Education (ACE), a K-12 charter school that outperforms every other school in the zip code by 30-50 percentage points on most assessments. ACE boasts a 100% graduation rate, chronic absenteeism of just 9.3% (nearly half the state average), and the lowest poverty rate in the area at 17% free/reduced lunch. At the other end of the spectrum, Union Elementary School faces significant challenges with a 41.2% chronic absenteeism rate, 78% free/reduced lunch, and test scores consistently 20-30 points below state averages. The four elementary schools form a clear hierarchy: Carter Elementary leads with strong 5th-grade math scores (60.8% vs. 44.1% state), followed by Springdale Elementary, then Lane Elementary, with Union trailing significantly.
Chronic absenteeism emerges as the defining challenge across the zip code. Schools with absenteeism below 20% (ACE, Springdale, Carter, Lane) generally perform near or above state averages, while schools above 33% (Howard Middle School, Howard High School, Union) consistently fall 15-30 points below. Interestingly, spending does not correlate with outcomes—Union spends the most per student ($16,183) yet scores lowest, while ACE spends the least ($11,894) and scores highest. There are bright spots: Howard Middle's advanced Algebra I students achieve 80% proficiency, Howard High's biology scores (38.8%) far exceed the district average, and Howard High maintains an 88.5% graduation rate despite academic struggles. Carter Elementary has shown notable improvement, jumping from the 58th to 69th percentile in one year.
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