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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 31312

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Georgia rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

At a glance

Schools

3,214

Students

Top rankedSouth Effingham Elementary School129^th of 1,219 Georgia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Sand Hill Elementary School up 5 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

There are four elementary schools serving zip code 31312 in Guyton, Georgia, all part of the highly regarded Effingham County School District, which ranks in the 90th percentile statewide and serves students in grades PK-5.

South Effingham Elementary School is the clear academic leader in this group, ranking 129th out of 1,219 Georgia schools with a 4-star rating. It posts the strongest math scores across all grade levels (71.1% in 3rd grade, 71.7% in 4th grade, and 65% in 5th grade) and also led in prior-year ELA scores. South Effingham also has the lowest economic disadvantage rate (33.37% free/reduced lunch) and a low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.0%. Marlow Elementary School stands out for efficiency: it has the best attendance in the group (4.7% chronic absenteeism), the most favorable student-teacher ratio (11.3:1), and the highest per-student spending at $18,049. Marlow also posted the strongest 3rd-grade ELA scores (58.3%) in the prior year. Sand Hill Elementary School is the consistent performer, maintaining a 4-star rating for three straight years and posting the highest 5th-grade science proficiency in the group at 71%—nearly 27 points above the state average.

Guyton Elementary School faces the most significant challenges, ranking 528th statewide (57th percentile) with a 3-star rating—the only school in this group below the 75th percentile. Guyton trails the district in nearly every subject, with 5th-grade math proficiency at just 34.9% (20.3 points below the district average) and 5th-grade science at 38.7% (below the state average). Guyton also has the highest economic disadvantage rate (66.25%) and the highest chronic absenteeism (10.3%). The data reveals a pronounced gap tied to economic disadvantage, with a 33-percentage-point difference in free/reduced lunch eligibility between Guyton and South Effingham correlating with a roughly 400-place spread in state rankings. Notably, spending does not correlate with performance—South Effingham achieves the best results with the lowest per-student spending ($14,355), while Marlow's higher investment yields strong attendance but not top academic scores. All four schools exceed state averages in most subjects, reflecting the district's overall strength, though Guyton's struggles in math and science highlight opportunities for targeted support.

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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
Marlow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5160 Ga Highway 17 S	Guyton	31312	Effingham County	Effingham County	No	No	No	No	(912) 728-3262	670	59	11.3	46.1%	488 (72.8%)	57 (8.5%)	85 (12.7%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (4.3%)	75.4	268^th of 1219 public elementary schools	78.0%		86.5	166^th of 1238 public elementary schools	86.6%	102	57.3	65.4	58.6	50.8	$18,049	$308	$17,741
Guyton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	719 Central Blvd	Guyton	31312	Effingham County	Effingham County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 772-3384	800	59	13.6	66.3%	493 (61.6%)	154 (19.3%)	95 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.0%)	52.1	528^th of 1219 public elementary schools	56.7%		63.3	401^st of 1238 public elementary schools	67.6%	127	59.5	48.4	34.9	38.7	$15,720	$741	$14,979
Sand Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	199 Stagecoach Ave	Guyton	31312	Effingham County	Effingham County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 728-5112	881	69	12.8	50.3%	666 (75.6%)	55 (6.2%)	92 (10.4%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	57 (6.5%)	78.9	232^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	81.0%		79.8	237^th of 1238 public elementary schools	80.9%	5	64.7	55.7	53.5	71.0	$15,834	$523	$15,311
South Effingham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	767 Kolic Helmey Rd	Guyton	31312	Effingham County	Effingham County	No	No	No	No	(912) 728-3801	863	64	13.5	33.4%	521 (60.4%)	116 (13.4%)	117 (13.6%)	54 (6.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	51 (5.9%)	89.8	129^th of 1219 public elementary schools	89.4%		91.7	111^th of 1238 public elementary schools	91.0%	18	71.1	71.7	65.0	69.2	$14,355	$300	$14,055

Cities Near Zip Code 31312

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Guyton	1.44 mi	7	42^nd
Springfield	3.19 mi	2	46^th
Brooklet	8.94 mi	4	83^rd
Rincon	9.7 mi	4	39^th
Port Wentworth	13.57 mi	1	277^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.