Summary:
Zip code 39828, encompassing Cairo, Georgia, is served by a single middle school, Washington Middle School, which educates students in grades 6 through 8 within the Grady County district.
Washington Middle School stands out for its exceptional Algebra I performance, with 100% of students scoring proficient on the End of Course Milestones Assessment—more than double the district (52.6%) and state (48.1%) rates. This is a remarkable achievement for a school where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. However, this strength does not extend to other subjects. In 8th grade, only 10.9% of students are proficient in science and 13.0% in social studies, both far below state averages of 29.7% and 40.2%, respectively. Math proficiency is mixed: 6th grade sits at 25.8% (state: 40.7%), 7th grade at 32.0% (state: 42.0%), but 8th grade jumps to 48.8%, slightly above the state's 46.3%. This 8th-grade surge likely reflects the school's strategy of placing top students into Algebra I, which may skew results upward. Year-over-year, 6th-grade math dropped 8.9 points while 8th-grade math rose 10.9 points, indicating notable volatility.
The school has maintained a consistent statewide ranking, hovering in the 33rd–34th percentile over three years (385th–391st out of roughly 580 schools), earning a 2-star rating. Chronic absenteeism is a positive at 14.7%, better than the state's 17.7%. Per-student spending is $12,244 with a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. While the school's overall performance reflects the challenges of high poverty, the Algebra I results demonstrate that advanced course placement can yield strong outcomes. For parents, this school offers a clear strength in accelerated math but shows significant gaps in science and social studies that may warrant attention.
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