Summary:
Zip code 31216 in Macon, Georgia is home to one middle school, Rutland Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 849 students within the Bibb County School District.
Rutland Middle School is a large school where about 60% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and it spends a substantial $13,675 per student. The school consistently outperforms its district average in nearly every subject—for example, 39% of students are proficient in Algebra I compared to the district's 22%, and 24.2% of 6th graders are proficient in math versus the district's 18.3%. However, it still trails state averages by 15 to 23 percentage points in most subjects. The school's strongest area is Algebra I, a high school-level course, which also showed the largest year-over-year improvement at +5.7 points. Science and social studies are the weakest subjects, with only 16.5% and 17.2% of 8th graders proficient, respectively, though both improved from the prior year. Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern at 28.1%, nearly double the state rate of 17.7%, and mirrors the district's systemic issue.
Despite holding a 1-star rating and ranking in the bottom quarter of Georgia middle schools, Rutland Middle School shows positive momentum. Its state rank improved from 480th to 449th over two years, and most subjects saw year-over-year gains, including 8th-grade math (+2.5 points), science (+2.7 points), and social studies (+4.2 points). An interesting anomaly is that 8th graders taking high school physical science scored 41.4% proficient, far higher than the 16.5% in general science, indicating that advanced-course students are a more select group. For parents, this school is a relative bright spot within Bibb County, but attendance and poverty remain key barriers that likely need addressing to accelerate improvement.
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