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Teachers: what resource would make the biggest difference at Center Elementary School this year?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
470
Elementary
DISTRICT 488 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WARE COUNTY·NCES 130543001395
Center Elementary School
2114 Dorothy St, Waycross, GA 31501 · (912) 287-2366 · Ware County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL470 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 66% of Georgia public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- AThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Georgia public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
450 students
DISTRICT 89% · STATE 74%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 80 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 74 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 82 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 72 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 80 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (80) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (80).
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Georgia Milestones 2024-25 . % Proficient or DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
38.2%
GA avg 40.1% . +5.2pp since 2021
Math
38.2%
GA avg 44.6% . +15.6pp since 2021
What this means: On the Georgia Milestones, Georgia's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Georgia schools, those numbers are about 40 and 45. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 16 points.
Georgia Milestones results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.2% | 38.2% |
| 2023-24 | 35.7% | 37.0% |
| 2022-23 | 29.4% | 30.3% |
| 2021-22 | 33.1% | 22.6% |
% Proficient or Distinguished, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Georgia Milestones. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
36.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.9%
based on GA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 36% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 28% typical for Georgia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Georgia's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Center Elementary School
Center Elementary School's state test result (36.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center Elementary School this school | 470 | 95.7% | 36.4% |
| Gentian Elementary School Columbus | 442 | 100.0% | 28.2% |
| West Point Elementary School West Point | 450 | 96.7% | 36.4% |
| Miller Elementary School Warner Robins | 487 | 100.0% | 25.4% |
| Barnett Shoals Elementary School Athens | 490 | 100.0% | 38.0% |
| Unity Elementary School (PK-5) Luthersville | 443 | 98.9% | 22.7% |
Matched among Georgia elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Center Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Georgia | In Ware County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.4% | #628 of 1,208 | #6 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.2% | #657 of 1,215 ▲ 17 | #5 of 6 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.2% | #503 of 1,215 ▲ 120 | #1 of 6 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.4pp | #117 of 1,183 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 470 | #929 of 1,324 | #2 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #655 of 1,301 | #5 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.1% | #476 of 1,301 | #5 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 95.7% | #513 of 1,312 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.3% | #358 of 854 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
470
-21 (-4%) vs 2020
+10% since 2000-01, when it was 427
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 14.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 470 | 35 | 13.4:1 | 96% (450) |
| 2023-24 | 470 | 37.1 | 12.7:1 | 96% (450) |
| 2022-23 | 480 | 34.6 | 13.9:1 | 94% (450) |
| 2020-21 | 491 | 35 | 14.0:1 | 98% (480) |
| 2017-18 | 555 | 34.8 | 15.9:1 | 90% (500) |
| 2015-16 | 540 | 33 | 16.4:1 | 90% (486) |
| 2010-11 | 456 | 31 | 14.7:1 | 74% (338) |
| 2000-01 | 427 | 30 | 14.2:1 | 72% (308) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Center Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (555 to 470); teachers up 1% (34.8 to 35).
About Center Elementary School
Center Elementary School is a small elementary school based in Waycross, Georgia. Total enrollment is 470 students, and the grades served are kindergarten through 5. That is 22% below the average of about 605 students for elementary schools in Georgia.
Within Ware County, Center Elementary School is one of 9 schools. The district enrolls 5,920 students.
Black students are 57% of those enrolled at Center Elementary School. Next come 23% White, 10% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. That compares with about 30% Black among all Ware County residents. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 60%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.4:1. The school has 35 full-time-equivalent teachers. The ratio is within a point of the 13.3:1 average for elementary schools in Georgia. Federal data show 96% of students (450) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The 87% average for public schools in Ware County is 9 points lower.
Among Georgia public elementary schools, Center Elementary School outscored 66%, which works out to a B+ on the allk12 Grade.
The school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 36.4%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 27.9%.
In Ware County, home to about 35,976 people, the median household earns about $47,448 a year, roughly 14% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Ware County number 10, with about 5,927 students.
The closest school to Center Elementary School is Wacona Elementary School, located about 1.5 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 7. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, Center Elementary School ranks 7th on average proficiency.
Center Elementary School is in a town far from an urbanized area, a location NCES labels Town: Remote.
Enrollment decreased by 4% across 4 years, from 491 in 2020-21 to 470 in 2024-25.
People who know Center Elementary School can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Ware County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
35,976
Census ACS
Median income
$47,448
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
14%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
5,927 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Ware County
- Ware County High SchoolHigh · 1,633 students
- Wacona Elementary SchoolElementary · 885 students
- Ware County Middle SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Waycross Middle SchoolMiddle · 606 students
- Williams Heights Elementary SchoolElementary · 436 students
- Waresboro Elementary SchoolElementary · 429 students
Other schools in Waycross
- Ware County High SchoolHigh · 1,633 students
- Wacona Elementary SchoolElementary · 885 students
- Ware County Middle SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Waycross Middle SchoolMiddle · 606 students
- Williams Heights Elementary SchoolElementary · 436 students
- Waresboro Elementary SchoolElementary · 429 students
Other Center Elementary schools
7 other US public schools in 6 states are named Center Elementary. Center Elementary School is the 6th largest of the 8.
- Center Elementary SchoolTewksbury, MA · 812 students
- Center ElementaryFairfield, CA · 640 students
- Center ElementaryHanover, MA · 582 students
- Center Elementary SchoolChelmsford, MA · 480 students
- Center Elementary SchoolCENTER, TX · 476 students
Nearby schools
- Wacona Elementary School1.5 mi · 885
- Williams Heights Elementary School1.8 mi · 436
- Waycross Middle School1.9 mi · 606
- Ware County Middle School2.1 mi · 752
- Waycross Regional Youth Detention Center3.2 mi · 7
- Ware County High School3.4 mi · 1,633
Frequently asked questions
About Center Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Center Elementary School?
Center Elementary School enrolls approximately 470 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Center Elementary School serve?
Center Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Center Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Center Elementary School is approximately 13.4:1 (35 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Center Elementary School?
Center Elementary School reports a student body of 23% White, 10% Hispanic, 57% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Center Elementary School?
Center Elementary School is overseen by Ware County in Ware County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.