Best Public Schools in Waycross, GA

Summary:

The city of Waycross, Georgia is home to 10 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools. The schools in this district serve a diverse student population, with many students coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Among the standout schools in the area, Waresboro Elementary School has shown consistent improvement, moving from a 2-star to a 4-star rating over the past 3 years and outperforming the district and state averages in several subjects. Ware County High School has also maintained a strong 4-star rating for the past 2 years and has a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 86.4%. Additionally, Memorial Drive Elementary School has made significant gains, improving from a 2-star to a 3-star rating over the past 3 years and excelling in math performance.

The data also reveals some challenges faced by the schools in the Ware County district, such as high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, which can be an indicator of economic disadvantage. The district's per-student spending ranges from $8,762 to $10,584, with the middle and high schools spending more per student than the elementary schools. While the overall district rating is 3 stars out of 5, there is a significant range in performance among the individual schools, suggesting opportunities for targeted interventions and support strategies to address specific areas of weakness and improve educational outcomes for all students.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition (2024)	Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2024)	Milestones Assessment Biology (2024)	Milestones Assessment United States History (2024)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2024)						Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2024)						Milestones Assessment Science (2024)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition End of Course	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Williams Heights Elementary School	Public	K-5	705 Dewey St	Waycross	31501	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2399	436	35	12.4	80.3%	146 (33.5%)	221 (50.7%)	26 (6.0%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.3%)	62.9	427^th of 1248 public elementary schools	65.8%		57.7	478^th of 1242 public elementary schools	61.5%	51					42.3	38.0	54.3				49.3	40.8	52.9				51.4			$10,584	$955	$9,629
Center Elementary School	Public	K-5	2114 Dorothy St	Waycross	31501	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2366	470	37	12.6	95.7%	121 (25.7%)	274 (58.3%)	37 (7.9%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.0%)	38.7	715^th of 1248 public elementary schools	42.7%		34.3	777^th of 1242 public elementary schools	37.4%	62					33.8	38.0	35.2				32.4	59.2	22.7				23.9			$8,843	$776	$8,067
Wacona Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3101 State St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2362	963	50	19.1	86.6%	554 (57.5%)	265 (27.5%)	73 (7.6%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (6.9%)	55.1	504^th of 1248 public elementary schools	59.6%		47	590^th of 1242 public elementary schools	52.5%	86					42.3	28.7	55.8				46.2	44.7	33.7				47.1			$10,223	$974	$9,249
Memorial Drive Elementary School	Public	K-5	2580 Ambrose St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2327	372	34	10.8	100.0%	183 (49.2%)	134 (36.0%)	16 (4.3%)	9 (2.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.5%)	52.4	536^th of 1248 public elementary schools	57.1%		46.8	597^th of 1242 public elementary schools	51.9%	61					30.4	35.3	46.7				48.2	62.7	38.3				33.9			$10,050	$1,169	$8,881
Ware County High School	Public	9-12	700 Victory Dr	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2351	1,618	117	13.8	84.1%	740 (45.7%)	630 (38.9%)	135 (8.3%)	17 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (5.9%)	56.1	150^th of 458 public high schools	67.2%		64.2	102^nd of 442 public high schools	76.9%	48	33.3	61.3	51.0	39.0																$10,360	$547	$9,813
Waycross Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Central Ave	Waycross	31501	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2333	585	52	11.3	90.8%	220 (37.6%)	274 (46.8%)	38 (6.5%)	10 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.4%)	40.5	333^rd of 588 public middle schools	43.4%		46.9	282^nd of 577 public middle schools	51.1%	51		100.0						29.5	25.9	37.3				23.7	25.4	41.5		27.5	31.6	$10,450	$1,155	$9,295
Waycross Regional Youth Detention Center	Public	5-12	3275 Harris Rd	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-6680	12	3	4.0	75.0%	3 (25.0%)	8 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)								(n/a)
Ware County Middle School	Public	6-8	2301 Cherokee St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2341	739	63	11.7	80.4%	404 (54.7%)	216 (29.2%)	65 (8.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (6.9%)	41.3	325^th of 588 public middle schools	44.7%		39.1	340^th of 577 public middle schools	41.1%	15		100.0						30.5	26.8	37.2				23.9	22.7	35.0		31.4	37.9	$8,762	$700	$8,061
Waresboro Elementary School	Public	K-5	3379 W Church St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2393	420	37	11.2	81.9%	232 (55.2%)	109 (26.0%)	44 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.6%)	69.3	351^st of 1248 public elementary schools	71.9%		52.5	527^th of 1242 public elementary schools	57.6%	176					34.5	32.4	67.1				51.7	59.5	50.0				65.7			$9,947	$846	$9,101
Ruskin Elementary School	Public	K-5	3550 Valdosta Hwy	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2325	374	32	11.6	100.0%	146 (39.0%)	130 (34.8%)	58 (15.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (10.2%)	55.4	500^th of 1248 public elementary schools	59.9%		58	474^th of 1242 public elementary schools	61.8%	26					36.2	37.3	40.6				48.3	55.2	35.9				48.4			$10,466	$1,555	$8,911

Cities Near Waycross

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Blackshear	5.72 mi	4	29^th
Hoboken	13.57 mi	1	34^th
Patterson	16.57 mi	1	10^th
Nahunta	19.39 mi	4	63^rd
Alma	21.53 mi	4	62^nd

See the top GA Georgia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.