McGarity Elementary School

Located at 262 Rakestraw Mill Rd, in Hiram, Georgia, McGarity Elementary School is a reasonably sized K-5 school that instructs 572 students (grades pre-K through 5), run under Paulding County.

McGarity Elementary School is one of 34 schools operated by Paulding County, a district that serves 31,426 students overall.

Looking at the student body, McGarity Elementary School records that 44% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school records 34% Black, 15% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 63%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, McGarity Elementary School has 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.3:1. The state averages about 13.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 58% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, McGarity Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 47.4%; this one delivers 36.0%.

In the surrounding community, Paulding County reports that median household earnings sit near $98,031, roughly 30% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. McGarity Elementary School is one of 34 public schools in Paulding County (combined enrollment of about 31,426 students).

Nearest neighbor: P. B. Ritch Middle School, around 0.6 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), McGarity Elementary School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 35.8%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 575 students in 2018 compared to 572 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 50% to 44%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 today.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.