Summary:
Zip code 39846 is home to just one high school, Calhoun County High School, a small rural school in Edison, Georgia, serving grades 9-12 with only 146 students.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this is a school showing real momentum despite significant challenges. Nearly 9 in 10 students (89%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-poverty community, yet the school has climbed from the 7th percentile in state rankings three years ago to the 24th percentile today. The graduation rate is a bright spot at 91.5%, exceeding the state average of 87.2%. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $19,988 per pupil and maintaining a favorable 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio, which allows for more individualized attention. Academically, the picture is mixed but improving. In the most recent year, U.S. History proficiency jumped dramatically from 12.5% to 31.8%, now sitting just 6.7 points below the state average. Algebra I also improved from 22.9% to 28.6% proficiency, though it remains 19.5 points behind the state. Biology is the weakest area, with only 19.4% proficiency—a 27.8-point gap from the state—and it actually dipped slightly year-over-year.
One concern is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 20%, above the state's 17.7%. With such a small student body, that translates to roughly 29 students missing significant instructional time, which can drag down overall performance. The school is part of the Calhoun County district, and since it is the only high school in the district, all district-level initiatives directly affect this one campus. Overall, parents should see a school that is investing resources and showing clear signs of improvement, particularly in history and algebra, but one that still has work to do in biology and in getting more students to school consistently. The strong graduation rate suggests students are getting the support they need to finish, even if state test scores lag.
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