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What's the most underrated thing about Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
492
Elementary
DISTRICT 442 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CLARKE COUNTY·NCES 130117000451
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
757 N Chase St, Athens, GA 30601 · (706) 543-1081 · Clarke County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL492 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 9.7:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
366 students
DISTRICT 93% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 62 | 13% |
| Kindergarten | 63 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 80 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 75 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 69 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 73 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (63) is 10% smaller than its 5th grade class (70).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · 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
56.4%
GA avg 40.1% . -0.2pp since 2021
Math
53.1%
GA avg 44.6% . -2.7pp since 2021
What this means: On the Georgia Milestones, Georgia's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Georgia schools, those numbers are about 40 and 45. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2021, while math scores are down about 3 points.
Georgia Milestones results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 56.4% | 53.1% |
| 2023-24 | 57.2% | 51.6% |
| 2022-23 | 54.9% | 52.6% |
| 2021-22 | 56.5% | 55.8% |
% 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
54.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.9%
based on GA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+15.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% 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 Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School's state test result (54.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School this school | 492 | 74.4% | 54.1% |
| Double Churches Elementary School Columbus | 472 | 76.7% | 35.1% |
| Langston Road Primary School Perry | 526 | 77.8% | N/A |
| Hilltop Elementary School Bonaire | 590 | 71.7% | 56.7% |
| Timothy Elementary School Athens | 565 | 68.3% | 51.3% |
| Sam D. Panter Elementary School Hiram | 506 | 70.6% | 42.1% |
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 Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Georgia | In Clarke County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.1% | #276 of 1,208 | #1 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 53.1% | #348 of 1,215 ▲ 41 | #2 of 14 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.4% | #181 of 1,215 ▲ 28 | #1 of 14 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.4pp | #320 of 1,183 | #2 of 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 492 | #875 of 1,324 | #5 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.2:1 | #135 of 1,301 | #13 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.7% | #317 of 1,301 | #9 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.4% | #785 of 1,312 | #13 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.8% | #440 of 854 | #10 of 13 |
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
492
+11 (+2%) vs 2020
+66% since 1990-91, when it was 297
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
was 10.0:1
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 | 492 | 44 | 11.2:1 | 74% (366) |
| 2023-24 | 486 | 48.5 | 10.0:1 | 65% (315) |
| 2022-23 | 492 | 43.7 | 11.3:1 | 83% (407) |
| 2020-21 | 481 | 48 | 10.0:1 | 82% (394) |
| 2017-18 | 564 | 48.5 | 11.6:1 | 92% (519) |
| 2015-16 | 483 | 43 | 11.2:1 | 92% (445) |
| 2010-11 | 422 | 37 | 11.4:1 | 70% (297) |
| 2000-01 | 336 | 23 | 14.6:1 | 92% (310) |
| 1990-91 | 297 | 25 | 11.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (564 to 492); teachers down 9% (48.5 to 44).
About Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School is a small elementary school in Athens, Georgia, one of the schools in Clarke County. The school enrolls 492 students in pre-K through 5.
Clarke County operates 21 schools. Combined enrollment is 12,275 students.
White students account for 44% of enrollment at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, more than any other group. Other groups make up 38% Black, 11% Hispanic, and 5% multiracial. County-wide, 57% of Clarke County residents are White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 65%.
There are 44 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 11.2:1. Across elementary schools in Georgia, the average ratio is 13.3:1. Of all students at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, 74% are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Among public schools in Clarke County, the average eligibility rate is 91%.
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School is 15.2 points above its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (54.1% versus 38.9%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in Georgia.
For the population of Clarke County, the median household earns about $53,625 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 47% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 13%. Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School shares Clarke County with 21 other public schools.
Clarke Central High School sits about 1.0 miles from Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Among 8 nearby schools that report test results, Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School ranks 1st on proficiency.
Its location is classified as City: Mid-size by the National Center for Education Statistics.
There was little change in enrollment from 2020-21 (481) to 2024-25 (492). By 2024-25, the school had 11.2 students per teacher, compared with 10.0 in 2020-21.
People can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs and other school topics. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Clarke County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
129,609
Census ACS
Median income
$53,625
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
22
13,750 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Clarke County
- Clarke Central High SchoolHigh · 1,907 students
- Cedar Shoals High SchoolHigh · 1,489 students
- Clarke Middle SchoolMiddle · 718 students
- Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle SchoolMiddle · 707 students
- Whitehead Road Elementary SchoolElementary · 632 students
- Hilsman Middle SchoolMiddle · 624 students
Other schools in Athens
- Clarke Central High SchoolHigh · 1,907 students
- Cedar Shoals High SchoolHigh · 1,489 students
- Foothills Regional High SchoolHigh · 1,475 students
- Clarke Middle SchoolMiddle · 718 students
- South Jackson Elementary SchoolElementary · 715 students
- Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle SchoolMiddle · 707 students
Nearby schools
- Clarke Central High School1.0 mi · 1,907
- Classic City High School1.1 mi · 58
- Foothills Regional High School1.3 mi · 1,475
- Clarke Middle School1.6 mi · 718
- Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School1.6 mi · 563
- Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary School1.6 mi · 322
Frequently asked questions
About Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School?
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School enrolls approximately 492 students in grades PK-05.
Is Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School have?
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School employs 44 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.2:1.
What is the student diversity at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School?
Student demographics at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School are roughly 44% White, 11% Hispanic, 38% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School in?
Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School is part of Clarke County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.