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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 31217

At a glance

Schools

1,427

Students

Districts

Top rankedBurdell Elementary School721^st of 1,219 Georgia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Bernd Elementary School up 72 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Bernd Elementary School 12.4 students per teacher

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Summary:

Zip code 31217 in Macon, Georgia is home to 5 schools serving approximately 1,427 students, including three elementary schools (PK-5) and two specialized high schools operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice, with the elementary schools split between the Jones County and Bibb County districts.

Mattie Wells Elementary School stands out as the strongest traditional school in the area, benefiting from its higher-ranked Jones County district and lower poverty concentration (53.6% free/reduced lunch) compared to its Bibb County counterparts. However, it shows a concerning 19-point drop in math proficiency between 4th grade (39.1%) and 5th grade (20.4%). Burdell Elementary School is the most improved school, outperforming its Bibb County district in every subject and grade tested despite serving a student body with 76.9% poverty. Bernd Elementary School spends the most per student ($18,597) yet consistently scores lowest, highlighting that funding alone doesn't drive results. All three elementary schools trail state averages in math and science by 10-25 percentage points, with 5th grade science proficiency ranging from 23.6% at Mattie Wells to 36.8% at Burdell versus the state's 44.2%.

The two high schools — Macon Youth Development Campus and Macon Regional Youth Detention Center — serve a fundamentally different purpose, providing intensive education to just 54 students in the juvenile justice system with very low student-teacher ratios (7.2:1 and 3.6:1). Chronic absenteeism varies widely, from Bernd's 16.6% (below the state average) to Burdell's 24.5%, yet absenteeism doesn't predict performance. Year-to-year test scores swing dramatically across all schools, suggesting small class cohorts heavily influence results. For parents, Mattie Wells offers the strongest overall academic foundation, while Burdell demonstrates that individual school leadership can overcome district-level challenges.

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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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	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
Macon Youth Development Campus	Public	5-12	4160 Riggins Mill Rd	Macon	31217	Bibb County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(478) 751-3432	36	5	7.2	69.4%	3 (8.3%)	32 (88.9%)	1 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Macon Regional Youth Detention Center	Public	5-12	4164 Riggins Mill Rd	Macon	31217	Bibb County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 751-3400	18	5	3.6	83.3%	2 (11.1%)	14 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.1%)								(n/a)
Department of Juvenile Justice Bibb ETC	Public	6-12	4160 Riggins Mill Rd	Macon	31217	Bibb County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(478) 207-1401	0	1	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Bernd Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4160 Ocmulgee East Blvd	Macon	31217	Bibb County	Bibb County	No	No	No	Yes	(478) 779-2730	356	29	12.4	71.9%	30 (8.4%)	301 (84.6%)	6 (1.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	25	907^th of 1219 public elementary schools	25.6%		21.7	979^th of 1238 public elementary schools	20.9%	72	22.2	38.5	33.4	28.9	$18,597	$2,915	$15,682
Burdell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	972 Fort Hill St	Macon	31217	Bibb County	Bibb County	No	No	No	Yes	(478) 779-2937	433	34	12.9	76.9%	2 (0.5%)	384 (88.7%)	30 (6.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.0%)	36.8	721^st of 1219 public elementary schools	40.9%		40.4	678^th of 1238 public elementary schools	45.2%	43	41.6	40.2	30.9	36.8	$17,626	$2,396	$15,230
Mattie Wells Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Mattie Wells Dr	Macon	31217	Jones County	Jones County	No	No	No	Yes	(478) 742-5959	584	41	14.4	53.6%	267 (45.7%)	258 (44.2%)	21 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.2%)	23.4	944^th of 1219 public elementary schools	22.6%		36.4	731^st of 1238 public elementary schools	41.0%	213	34.6	39.1	20.4	23.6	$15,112	$999	$14,113

Cities Near Zip Code 31217

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Macon	1.1 mi	51	305^th
Gray	10.56 mi	6	74^th
Lizella	14.13 mi	1	152^nd
Warner Robins	14.5 mi	21	196^th
Jeffersonville	14.86 mi	4	335^th

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.