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Which teacher or staff member at S.L. Mason Elementary School deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
881
Elementary
DISTRICT 808 · STATE 605
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·VALDOSTA CITY·NCES 130531003812
S.L. Mason Elementary School
821 W Gordon St, Valdosta, GA 31601 · (229) 333-8525 · Lowndes County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL881 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 12% of Georgia public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-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
15.1:1
59 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
98%
863 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 | 44 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 137 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 153 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 153 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 131 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 131 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 132 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (137) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (132).
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · 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
20.2%
GA avg 40.1% . -5.2pp since 2021
Math
20.3%
GA avg 44.6% . -7.0pp since 2021
What this means: On the Georgia Milestones, Georgia's statewide test, about 20 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 20 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Georgia schools, those numbers are about 40 and 45. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2021, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Georgia Milestones results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 20.2% | 20.3% |
| 2023-24 | 19.0% | 25.7% |
| 2022-23 | 19.6% | 26.6% |
| 2021-22 | 25.4% | 27.4% |
% 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
22.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
26.7%
based on GA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 27% 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 S.L. Mason Elementary School
S.L. Mason Elementary School's state test result (22.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.L. Mason Elementary School this school | 881 | 98.0% | 22.5% |
| South Salem Elementary School Covington | 855 | 100.0% | 20.3% |
| Hicks Elementary School Conyers | 878 | 95.3% | 27.6% |
| Waynesboro Primary School Waynesboro | 924 | 100.0% | N/A |
| Powder Springs Elementary School Powder Springs | 805 | 94.8% | 32.3% |
| Sumter County Primary School Americus | 724 | 100.0% | N/A |
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 S.L. Mason Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Georgia | In Lowndes County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 22.5% | #979 of 1,208 | #8 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 20.3% | #1,062 of 1,215 ▼ 134 | #10 of 12 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 20.2% | #1,008 of 1,215 ▲ 62 | #9 of 12 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -6.1pp | #92 of 1,183 | #3 of 12 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 881 | #157 of 1,324 | #4 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #1,111 of 1,301 | #12 of 12 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 50.7% | #771 of 1,301 | #7 of 12 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.0% | #483 of 1,312 | #2 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.1% | #745 of 854 | #7 of 11 |
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
881
+42 (+5%) vs 2020
-1% since 2010-11, when it was 890
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 13.5:1
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 | 881 | 58.5 | 15.1:1 | 98% (863) |
| 2023-24 | 917 | 62.8 | 14.6:1 | 100% (917) |
| 2022-23 | 887 | 64.4 | 13.8:1 | 92% (819) |
| 2020-21 | 839 | 62 | 13.5:1 | 95% (794) |
| 2017-18 | 919 | 61.4 | 15.0:1 | 100% (919) |
| 2015-16 | 903 | 57 | 15.8:1 | 100% (900) |
| 2010-11 | 890 | 65 | 13.7:1 | 78% (698) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for S.L. Mason Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (919 to 881); teachers down 5% (61.4 to 58.5).
About S.L. Mason Elementary School
Families in Valdosta, Georgia, are served by S.L. Mason Elementary School, a medium-sized elementary school. Enrolled students number 881 students, in pre-K through 5. Statewide, elementary schools in Georgia average about 605 students each.
Valdosta City serves 8,247 students across 8 schools.
At 68%, Black students outnumber all other groups at S.L. Mason Elementary School combined. The remaining students are 13% Hispanic, 11% White, and 6% multiracial. Among people living in Lowndes County, the Black share is about 37%. By the diversity index, S.L. Mason Elementary School comes in at 51%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 15.1:1, with 58.5 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. The 13.3:1 average for elementary schools in Georgia is lower than this school's figure. Lunch subsidy eligibility at S.L. Mason Elementary School is 98%. The gap from the 80% average for public schools in Lowndes County is 18 points.
Measured against Georgia public elementary schools, S.L. Mason Elementary School receives a D. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The model predicts 26.7% for a school in Georgia with S.L. Mason Elementary School's free or reduced-price lunch share. S.L. Mason Elementary School posts 22.5%.
Census estimates describe Lowndes County this way: median household income is about $58,541, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 14% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Lowndes County number 20 and enroll about 19,812.
The closest public school, Lowndes High School, is about 1.7 miles from S.L. Mason Elementary School. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 8 nearby schools with scores, including this one, S.L. Mason Elementary School is 5th on average proficiency.
NCES assigns S.L. Mason Elementary School the locale City: Small, meaning inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, S.L. Mason Elementary School went from 839 students to 881. The ratio of students to teachers went from 13.5:1 to 15.1:1 over the same years.
The discussion area below is open to posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Lowndes County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
119,965
Census ACS
Median income
$58,541
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
19,812 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Valdosta City
- Valdosta High SchoolHigh · 2,457 students
- Sallas Mahone ElementaryElementary · 1,045 students
- Valdosta Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,024 students
- W.G. Nunn ElementaryElementary · 974 students
- Newbern Middle SchoolMiddle · 725 students
- J. L. Lomax Elementary SchoolElementary · 576 students
Other schools in Valdosta
- Lowndes High SchoolHigh · 3,152 students
- Valdosta High SchoolHigh · 2,457 students
- Sallas Mahone ElementaryElementary · 1,045 students
- Valdosta Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,024 students
- W.G. Nunn ElementaryElementary · 974 students
- Scintilla Charter AcademyCombined · 947 students
Nearby schools
- Lowndes High School1.7 mi · 3,152
- Pinevale Elementary School1.9 mi · 565
- Valdosta Middle School2.1 mi · 1,024
- Westside Elementary School2.3 mi · 904
- W.G. Nunn Elementary2.6 mi · 974
- Newbern Middle School3.4 mi · 725
Frequently asked questions
About S.L. Mason Elementary SchoolHow large is S.L. Mason Elementary School?
S.L. Mason Elementary School enrolls approximately 881 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does S.L. Mason Elementary School serve?
S.L. Mason Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does S.L. Mason Elementary School have?
S.L. Mason Elementary School employs 59 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.1:1.
What is the student diversity at S.L. Mason Elementary School?
Student demographics at S.L. Mason Elementary School are roughly 11% White, 13% Hispanic, 68% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees S.L. Mason Elementary School?
S.L. Mason Elementary School is overseen by Valdosta City in Lowndes County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.