Ware County

Summary:

The Ware County school district in Georgia consists of 9 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The district serves communities facing significant socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by the high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch across the schools.

Within the district, a few schools stand out for their strong performance. Waresboro Elementary School and Williams Heights Elementary School rank in the top 50% and 35% of Georgia elementary schools, respectively, with particularly high proficiency rates in math, science, and English Language Arts. In contrast, several other elementary and middle schools in the district struggle, ranking in the bottom half of their state rankings, indicating room for improvement.

The lone high school in the district, Ware County High School, maintains a solid performance record, ranking in the top 35% of Georgia high schools and boasting a graduation rate above the state average. However, the district as a whole faces challenges in terms of student support and resources, given the high levels of economic disadvantage among the student populations.

District Detail

1301 Bailey Street
Waycross, GA 31501

(912) 283-8656

SchoolDigger Rank:
77^th of 203 Georgia districts

See the 2024 Georgia District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students:

Primary Schools: 6
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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	426	38	11.1	80.3%	161 (37.8%)	206 (48.4%)	22 (5.2%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.0%)	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	480	35	13.8	93.8%	139 (29.0%)	275 (57.3%)	34 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.3%)	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	937	50	18.9	93.7%	528 (56.4%)	291 (31.1%)	51 (5.4%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (6.6%)	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	353	34	10.3	93.8%	191 (54.1%)	122 (34.6%)	16 (4.5%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.1%)	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	1,589	111	14.3	86.3%	766 (48.2%)	603 (37.9%)	118 (7.4%)	16 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (5.4%)	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	583	47	12.4	86.3%	232 (39.8%)	263 (45.1%)	32 (5.5%)	11 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	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
Ware County Middle School	Public	6-8	2301 Cherokee St	Waycross	31503	Ware County	Ware County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 287-2341	783	58	13.4	80.3%	412 (52.6%)	246 (31.4%)	65 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (7.5%)	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	443	35	12.7	93.7%	275 (62.1%)	91 (20.5%)	44 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.8%)	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	379	32	12.0	93.7%	155 (40.9%)	140 (36.9%)	50 (13.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.4%)	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

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Okefenokee Regional Educational Service Agency	1.38 mi	1
Department of Juvenile Justice	4.55 mi	32
Pierce County	5.49 mi	5	8^th
Brantley County	12.87 mi	7
Bacon County	22.43 mi	4	29^th

Ware County

District Detail

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