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How has Tift County High School changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,207
High
DISTRICT 679 · STATE 1,120
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TIFT COUNTY·NCES 130498002282
Tift County High School
1 Blue Devil Way, Tifton, GA 31794 · (229) 387-2475 · Tift County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,207 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% of Georgia public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
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 high schools
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
126 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 15.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
90%
1,994 students
DISTRICT 99% · STATE 74%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 627 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 552 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 525 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 503 | 23% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
School pathway
Based on grade levels within Tift County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Georgia Milestones 2024-25 . % Proficient or DistinguishedMath
38.8%
GA avg 44.6% . +19.0pp since 2021
What this means: On the Georgia Milestones, Georgia's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school do math at grade level. The Georgia average is about 45 of 100. Math scores are up about 19 points since 2021.
Georgia Milestones results by year
| School year | Math |
|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.8% |
| 2023-24 | 33.5% |
| 2022-23 | 21.5% |
| 2021-22 | 19.8% |
% 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
37.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
30.7%
based on GA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 31% 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 Tift County High School
Tift County High School's state test result (37.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tift County High School this school | 2,207 | 90.3% | 37.4% |
| Brunswick High School Brunswick | 1,951 | 91.0% | 49.8% |
| LaGrange High School Lagrange | 1,399 | 87.2% | 47.2% |
| Cairo High School Cairo | 1,317 | 89.6% | 44.0% |
| Clarke Central High School Athens | 1,907 | 82.5% | 42.0% |
| Ware County High School Waycross | 1,633 | 84.1% | 56.3% |
Matched among Georgia high 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 Tift County High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.4% | #210 of 411 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.8% | #194 of 417 ▲ 33 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,207 | #48 of 480 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.5:1 | #318 of 413 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.9% | #50 of 413 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.3% | #124 of 425 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +34.6% | #17 of 226 |
Ranked against other public high 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
2,207
-102 (-4%) vs 2020
+53% since 2000-01, when it was 1,447
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
was 18.6:1
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 | 2,207 | 126.3 | 17.5:1 | 90% (1,994) |
| 2023-24 | 2,266 | 131.2 | 17.3:1 | 67% (1,526) |
| 2022-23 | 2,273 | 131.5 | 17.3:1 | 100% (2,273) |
| 2020-21 | 2,309 | 124 | 18.6:1 | 37% (853) |
| 2017-18 | 1,640 | 98.9 | 16.6:1 | 96% (1,582) |
| 2015-16 | 1,542 | 94 | 16.4:1 | 95% (1,461) |
| 2010-11 | 1,447 | 92 | 15.7:1 | 53% (769) |
| 2000-01 | 1,447 | 75 | 19.3:1 | 28% (412) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Tift County High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 35% (1,640 to 2,207); teachers up 28% (98.9 to 126.3).
About Tift County High School
Tift County High School is a high-enrollment high school in Georgia, located in Tifton. School enrollment was 2,207 students in 2024-25, in grades 9 through 12. The average among high schools in Georgia is roughly 1,120 students; this school is 97% bigger than that.
Tift County High School is one school in an 11-school district, Tift County, which enrolls 7,471 students.
At Tift County High School, the largest share of students is White, at 39%. After that, the student body is 35% Black, 20% Hispanic, and 3% multiracial. Census figures show Tift County is about 57% White. The school's diversity index is 68%, meaning two students picked at random have a 68% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal staffing data show 126.3 full-time-equivalent teachers at Tift County High School and a ratio of 17.5:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 15.2:1 average for high schools in Georgia. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 90% of enrollment.
Measured against Georgia public high schools, Tift County High School receives a B. 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 school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 37.4%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 30.7%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Tift County show that the median household income is $53,255, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 16%. Besides Tift County High School, Tift County has 10 other public schools.
G. O. Bailey Elementary School is located about 1.1 miles from Tift County High School. The five-mile area around Tift County High School holds at least 8 other public schools. Tift County High School comes in 4th of 9 nearby schools on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes Tift County High School as Town: Distant.
The school enrolled 2,207 students in 2024-25, 102 fewer than the 2,309 it had in 2020-21. Federal data show the ratio falling from 18.6:1 to 17.5:1.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Tift County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
41,438
Census ACS
Median income
$53,255
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
16%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
7,471 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Tift County
- Eighth Street Middle SchoolMiddle · 883 students
- Annie Belle Clark Elementary SchoolElementary · 785 students
- Northeast Middle SchoolMiddle · 733 students
- G. O. Bailey Elementary SchoolElementary · 531 students
- Len Lastinger Elementary SchoolElementary · 448 students
- Charles Spencer Elementary SchoolElementary · 428 students
Other schools in Tifton
- Eighth Street Middle SchoolMiddle · 883 students
- Annie Belle Clark Elementary SchoolElementary · 785 students
- Northeast Middle SchoolMiddle · 733 students
- G. O. Bailey Elementary SchoolElementary · 531 students
- Len Lastinger Elementary SchoolElementary · 448 students
- Charles Spencer Elementary SchoolElementary · 428 students
Nearby schools
- G. O. Bailey Elementary School1.1 mi · 531
- Northside Elementary School1.4 mi · 405
- Charles Spencer Elementary School2.1 mi · 428
- Northeast Middle School2.5 mi · 733
- Eighth Street Middle School2.7 mi · 883
- Len Lastinger Elementary School2.9 mi · 448
Frequently asked questions
About Tift County High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Tift County High School?
Tift County High School enrolls approximately 2,207 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Tift County High School serve?
Tift County High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Tift County High School?
Approximately 17.5:1 students per teacher at Tift County High School.
How diverse is Tift County High School?
Tift County High School reports a student body of 39% White, 20% Hispanic, 35% Black, 2% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Tift County High School public or private?
Tift County High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Tift County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.