Summary:
Zip code 31701 in Albany, Georgia, is home to four elementary schools serving grades PK through 5 within the Dougherty County school district, where all students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a predominantly low-income community.
There is a clear two-tier divide among these schools. Lincoln Elementary Magnet School is the standout, ranking in the 83rd percentile statewide with a remarkable 0.0% chronic absenteeism rate and math proficiency rates (73% in 3rd grade, 72.1% in 4th grade) that are roughly double the district average. Lamar Reese School of the Arts is the rising star, jumping from the 43rd to the 73rd percentile in just two years, with a low 4.8% absenteeism rate and the smallest class sizes (12.2:1 student-teacher ratio). In contrast, Martin Luther King- Junior Elementary School and Northside Elementary School are struggling, ranking in the bottom quartile with chronic absenteeism rates above 29% and math proficiency in the teens and twenties. The gap is stark: Lincoln's 5th grade math proficiency (43.4%) is more than double Northside's (20.9%).
Attendance appears to be the strongest predictor of success here, as the two schools with the lowest absenteeism are the top performers. Interestingly, per-student spending does not correlate with outcomes—Lincoln spends the least ($16,692) yet achieves the best results, while Lamar Reese spends the most ($18,233). MLK- Junior shows promise, improving from the 4th to the 22nd percentile, and its 5th grade science proficiency (44.6%) actually exceeds the district average. A consistent drop in math proficiency from 3rd to 5th grade across all schools suggests a need for greater upper-elementary support.
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