Tara Elementary School

Summary:

Tara Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Morrow, Georgia, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 584 students. The school is part of the Clayton County School District, which is ranked 168 out of 203 districts in Georgia and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Tara Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom quarter of Georgia elementary schools, ranking between 921 and 1,175 out of around 1,200-1,250 schools over the past 10 years, and has maintained a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger during this time. The school consistently underperforms compared to the Clayton County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessments, with only 23.2% of 3rd graders, 16% of 4th graders, and 25.8% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 38.4%, 37%, and 48.2% at the state level, respectively. Tara Elementary also has significantly lower math and science proficiency rates than the county and state averages.

Tara Elementary has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 90.31% to 93.01% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's per-student spending has ranged from $7,800 to $10,003 over the past few years, which is generally lower than the spending levels of the nearby schools, such as Lake City Elementary and Morrow Elementary, which have significantly higher academic performance, with proficiency rates that are 10-20 percentage points higher than Tara Elementary in many subject areas.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

937 Mount Zion Rd
Morrow, GA 30260

(770) 968-2915

District: Clayton County

SchoolDigger Rank:
1084^th of 1,248 Georgia Elementary Schools

Students who attend Tara Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jonesboro Middle School
High:	Charles R. Drew High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.2

Number of students: 584

Racial breakdown:

African American:

62.8%

Hispanic:

32.0%

Two or more races:

2.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 90.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Tara Elementary School ranks worse than 86.9% of elementary schools in Georgia. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.07. (See more...)

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger Rankings:

Tara Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Clayton County:

SchoolDigger ranks Clayton County 168^th of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Tara Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	8.02	1056^th	1101	4.1%
2007	6.92	1084^th	1125	3.6%
2008	1.85	1132^nd	1134	0.2%
2009	9.20	1080^th	1133	4.7%
2010	18.53	1046^th	1183	11.6%
2011	26.04	1004^th	1212	17.2%
2012	41.81	831^st	1201	30.8%
2013	37.99	891^st	1225	27.3%
2014	32.76	948^th	1231	23.0%
2015	20.13	1008^th	1240	18.7%
2016	13.15	1108^th	1233	10.1%
2017	16.04	1032^nd	1205	14.4%
2018	22.97	930^th	1209	23.1%
2019	25.02	921^st	1234	25.4%
2021	15.73	1036^th	1214	14.7%
2022	12.87	1109^th	1244	10.9%
2023	16.53	1075^th	1242	13.4%
2024	16.07	1084^th	1248	13.1%

See the entire list of Georgia Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Tara Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	612	612
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	652	652
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	719	719
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	773	773
1994	397	380	27	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	839
1995	312	464	32	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	845
1996	312	464	32	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	845
1997	307	478	34	47	0	n/a	n/a	0	866
1998	254	617	30	46	0	n/a	n/a	0	947
1999	213	614	22	70	1	n/a	n/a	0	920
2000	196	694	22	107	1	n/a	n/a	0	1020
2001	146	668	23	122	2	n/a	n/a	0	961
2002	74	383	15	141	1	n/a	n/a	0	614
2003	74	383	15	141	1	n/a	n/a	0	614
2004	51	383	13	178	1	n/a	n/a	0	626
2005	38	325	16	171	0	n/a	n/a	41	591
2006	40	346	12	173	0	n/a	n/a	38	609
2007	36	307	8	210	2	n/a	n/a	27	590
2008	28	349	13	195	0	n/a	n/a	28	613
2009	29	370	15	193	0	n/a	n/a	20	627
2010	23	333	21	179	1	0	19	0	576
2011	21	327	13	192	0	0	19	0	572
2012	20	327	20	204	1	0	21	0	593
2013	18	384	20	208	2	2	28	0	662
2014	12	415	16	191	3	1	24	0	662
2015	14	421	11	206	1	1	14	0	668
2016	27	440	14	210	1	1	16	0	709
2017	25	445	7	206	0	1	16	0	700
2018	19	508	7	203	0	0	5	0	742
2019	21	491	11	198	0	0	9	0	730
2020	11	470	8	185	2	0	13	0	689
2021	10	385	4	160	1	0	12	0	572
2022	12	381	3	176	2	0	7	0	581
2023	11	367	2	187	2	0	15	0	584

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Tara Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	612	35.0	17.4	21.7
1991	652	40.0	16.3	34.4
1992	719	39.0	18.4	43
1993	773	45.0	17.2	42.9
1994	839	44.6	18.8	55.4
1995	845	52.0	16.3	56.8
1996	845	52.0	16.3	56.8
1997	866	48.5	17.9	72.5
1998	947	54.5	17.4	75.4
1999	920	56.3	16.3	73.6
2000	1020	59.7	17.1	74.5
2001	961	55.1	17.4	74.5
2002	614	30.7	20.0	84.4
2003	614	30.7	20.0	84.4
2004	626	38.3	16.3	87.1
2005	591	46.0	12.8	95.8
2006	609	49.0	12.4	96.5
2007	590	45.5	13.0	96.8
2008	613	44.0	13.9	95
2009	627	51.0	12.3	96.7
2010	576	45.5	12.6	97.4
2011	572	44.5	12.8	98.4
2012	593	43.5	13.6	99.5
2013	662	39.7	16.6	95.6
2014	662	41.7	15.8	99.5
2015	668	42.0	15.9	95.5
2016	709	42.0	16.8	99.6
2017	700	42.1	16.6	99.6
2018	742	49.0	15.1	99.5
2019	730	43.5	16.7	92.9
2020	689	46.0	14.9	93
2021	572	45.0	12.7	93
2022	581	46.0	12.6	n/a
2023	584	41.0	14.2	90.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Tara Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	612	35.0	17.4	21.7
1991	652	40.0	16.3	34.4
1992	719	39.0	18.4	43
1993	773	45.0	17.2	42.9
1994	839	44.6	18.8	55.4
1995	845	52.0	16.3	56.8
1996	845	52.0	16.3	56.8
1997	866	48.5	17.9	72.5
1998	947	54.5	17.4	75.4
1999	920	56.3	16.3	73.6
2000	1020	59.7	17.1	74.5
2001	961	55.1	17.4	74.5
2002	614	30.7	20.0	84.4
2003	614	30.7	20.0	84.4
2004	626	38.3	16.3	87.1
2005	591	46.0	12.8	95.8
2006	609	49.0	12.4	96.5
2007	590	45.5	13.0	96.8
2008	613	44.0	13.9	95
2009	627	51.0	12.3	96.7
2010	576	45.5	12.6	97.4
2011	572	44.5	12.8	98.4
2012	593	43.5	13.6	99.5
2013	662	39.7	16.6	95.6
2014	662	41.7	15.8	99.5
2015	668	42.0	15.9	95.5
2016	709	42.0	16.8	99.6
2017	700	42.1	16.6	99.6
2018	742	49.0	15.1	99.5
2019	730	43.5	16.7	92.9
2020	689	46.0	14.9	93
2021	572	45.0	12.7	93
2022	581	46.0	12.6	n/a
2023	584	41.0	14.2	90.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Tara Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$710 (7.9%)	$8,273 (92.1%)	$8,983
2018	$635 (6.5%)	$9,170 (93.5%)	$9,804
2019	$599 (6.8%)	$8,191 (93.2%)	$8,789

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Tara Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 921^st of 1234 Elementary schools	Ranks 1075^th of 1242 Elementary schools	11.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Tara Elementary School)	27.4	17.1	10.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Clayton County)	26.9	18.1	8.8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	38.6	3.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Tara Elementary School)	34.7	19.5	15.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Clayton County)	35.9	23.7	12.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	52	45.6	6.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Tara Elementary School)	26.5	19.1	7.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Clayton County)	26.5	18.2	8.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	36.1	5.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Tara Elementary School)	26.3	20.2	6.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Clayton County)	29.2	23.4	5.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	49	45.7	3.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Tara Elementary School)	36.3	22.4	13.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Clayton County)	30.4	22.9	7.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	45	41.6	3.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Tara Elementary School)	9.7	14.3	4.6%
5th Grade Mathematics (Clayton County)	23.2	15.6	7.6%
5th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	41	37.4	3.6%
5th Grade Science (Tara Elementary School)	37.1	16.3	20.8%
5th Grade Science (Clayton County)	26.5	17.1	9.4%
5th Grade Science (Georgia)	43	40	3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	730	584	20%
African American	491	367	25.3%
American Indian	0	2
Asian	11	2	81.8%
Hispanic	198	187	5.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	21	11	47.6%
Two or More Races	9	15	66.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	92.9%	90.4%	2.5%

Schools Near Tara Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2024)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2024)			Milestones Assessment Science (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 English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Tara Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	937 Mount Zion Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2915	584	41	14.2	90.4%	11 (1.9%)	367 (62.8%)	187 (32.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	16.1	1084^th of 1248 public elementary schools	13.1%		16.5	1075^th of 1242 public elementary schools	13.4%	9	23.2	16.0	25.8	15.2	24.7	18.0	19.1	$8,789	$599	$8,191
Haynie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1169 Morrow Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2905	793	56	14.1	90.5%	13 (1.6%)	307 (38.7%)	404 (50.9%)	47 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.8%)	24	945^th of 1248 public elementary schools	24.3%		24.1	932^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	25.0%	13	22.0	23.9	31.3	22.0	40.4	20.1	23.9	$7,800	$565	$7,235
Morrow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6115 Reynolds Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2900	454	33	13.7	90.3%	12 (2.6%)	218 (48.0%)	136 (30.0%)	73 (16.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.9%)	29	873^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	30.0%		33.8	783^rd of 1242 public elementary schools	37.0%	90	29.4	19.7	29.9	41.2	23.0	31.0	26.4	$10,003	$568	$9,435
Sankofa Montessori	Public, Charter	K-6	5881 Phillips Drive	Forest Park	30297	Clayton County	State Specialty Schools II- Sankofa Montessori	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(470) 502-4921	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Kilpatrick Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7534 Tara Rd	Jonesboro	30236	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 473-2790	618	48	12.8	90.5%	15 (2.4%)	280 (45.3%)	292 (47.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.4%)	18.6	1023^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	18.0%		20.3	1002^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	19.3%	21	21.0	13.0	33.3	25.0	25.9	21.0	18.1	$8,422	$539	$7,883
Harper Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	93 Valley Hill Rd SW	Riverdale	30274	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 479-2654	722	53	13.5	90.4%	6 (0.8%)	468 (64.8%)	212 (29.4%)	13 (1.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.6%)	10.5	1175^th of 1248 public elementary schools	5.8%		13.2	1114^th of 1242 public elementary schools	10.3%	61	15.6	18.4	20.4	15.6	22.1	5.3	3.5	$8,261	$568	$7,694
Riverdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6253 Garden Walk Blvd	Riverdale	30274	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 994-4015	635	48	13.2	90.4%	10 (1.6%)	411 (64.7%)	171 (26.9%)	18 (2.8%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.3%)	20	1004^th of 1248 public elementary schools	19.6%		14.8	1091^st of 1242 public elementary schools	12.2%	87	20.5	11.0	32.7	15.7	14.3	29.6	29.6	$8,335	$458	$7,877
James Jackson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7711 Mount Zion Blvd	Jonesboro	30236	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 610-4401	633	44	14.2	90.4%	6 (0.9%)	503 (79.5%)	84 (13.3%)	18 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.5%)	18.3	1032^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	17.3%		17.9	1050^th of 1242 public elementary schools	15.5%	18	13.7	19.2	37.0	24.8	21.4	20.4	18.3	$8,757	$576	$8,181
William M. McGarrah Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2201 Lake Harbin Rd	Morrow	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 968-2910	642	49	13.1	90.3%	9 (1.4%)	415 (64.6%)	130 (20.2%)	56 (8.7%)	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.6%)	22.5	974^th of 1248 public elementary schools	22.0%		19.9	1011^th of 1242 public elementary schools	18.6%	37	27.6	18.6	24.4	33.7	27.8	24.4	14.6	$8,799	$671	$8,129
Lake City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5354 Phillips Dr	Lake City	30260	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 362-3855	509	34	14.9	90.4%	12 (2.4%)	184 (36.1%)	228 (44.8%)	64 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.1%)	30.9	837^th of 1248 public elementary schools	32.9%		34.2	779^th of 1242 public elementary schools	37.3%	58	34.8	26.3	31.0	30.3	36.8	27.4	26.2	$8,463	$417	$8,046

Frequently Asked Questions about Tara Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Tara Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Tara Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jonesboro Middle School
High : Charles R. Drew High School

How many students attend Tara Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 584 students attended Tara Elementary School.

What district is Tara Elementary School in?

Clayton County

What is the racial makeup of Tara Elementary School?

Students at Tara Elementary School are 63% African American, 32% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

Is Tara Elementary School a good school?

Tara Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.1% of Georgia elementary schools.

Rate Tara Elementary School!

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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.