Garrett Middle School

Q: Is Garrett Middle School a good school?

Garrett Middle School ranks 377 th of 588 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Garrett Middle School is a public middle school located in Austell, Georgia, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 906 students. The school is part of the Cobb County School District, which is ranked 52 out of 203 school districts in Georgia and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Academically, Garrett Middle School has consistently underperformed compared to the Cobb County and Georgia state averages in various Milestones Assessment subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates were significantly lower than the county and state in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Additionally, the school has been ranked in the bottom half of Georgia middle schools for the past several years, with a ranking of 377 out of 588 schools in the 2023-2024 school year and a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger. This is in contrast to nearby schools like Lovinggood Middle School and Cooper Middle School, which consistently outperform Garrett Middle School in academic assessments.

One potential factor contributing to Garrett Middle School's lower academic performance is the high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 78.81% to 84.99% over the past few years. This is significantly higher than the surrounding schools in the Cobb County district. Despite the relatively high per-student spending at Garrett Middle School, ranging from $8,432 to $8,882 over the past few years, the school's academic performance remains below the district and state averages. This suggests that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution, and the school may need to examine how resources are being allocated and utilized to support student learning.

Detail:

Public 6-8

5235 Austell Powder Springs Rd
Austell, GA 30106

(770) 819-2466

District: Cobb County

SchoolDigger Rank:
377^th of 588 Georgia Middle Schools

Students who attend Garrett Middle School usually attend:

High:

South Cobb High School

Feeder schools for Garrett Middle School:

Elementary:	Austell Elementary School
	Hendricks Elementary School
	Sanders Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 906

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.9%

Hispanic:

37.9%

White:

6.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 85%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Garrett Middle School ranks worse than 64.1% of middle schools in Georgia. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.1. (See more...)

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger Rankings:

Garrett Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Garrett Middle School 377^th of 588 Georgia public middle schools. (See Garrett Middle School in the ranking list.)

Cobb County:

SchoolDigger ranks Cobb County 52^nd of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Garrett Middle School.

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Rank History for Garrett Middle School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	38.04	313^th	420	25.5%
2007	38.77	321^st	445	27.9%
2008	50.68	249^th	462	46.1%
2009	43.74	307^th	466	34.1%
2010	38.33	355^th	494	28.1%
2011	26.36	423^rd	504	16.1%
2012	32.47	399^th	508	21.5%
2013	27.17	437^th	527	17.1%
2014	27.89	434^th	521	16.7%
2015	26.12	399^th	537	25.7%
2016	21.91	434^th	545	20.4%
2017	28.34	400^th	539	25.8%
2018	24.00	431^st	543	20.6%
2019	29.42	404^th	559	27.7%
2021	22.00	428^th	542	21.0%
2022	26.60	416^th	567	26.6%
2023	32.79	388^th	577	32.8%
2024	34.10	377^th	588	35.9%

See the entire list of Georgia Middle School Rankings!

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

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

by a student
Wednesday, March 17, 2021

i hate it there Close Quote

by a student
Friday, November 3, 2017

I gave Garrett middle school a 1 star because: the principle here she likes to take the students stuff and not give it back. The 8th grade administrator is very strict. He doesn't allow us to do anything. We cant even get lockers this year. our book bags are full of books that we don't even carry. like who has money to replace a book bag every time one breaks ? And about the dress code. This is where it gets stupid. Our Garrett hoodies are RED right, OK. Now here is the thing, if we wear a red jacket, like just plain red we get a referral and then our parents be on us, yelling at us because we got a referral.All of the activities we do at Garrett, they are lame except for the ones we do in science,(shout out to you ms ducre). The teachers here don't teach us. all they do is yell at a whole class for something one student did. We get accused of skipping because we talk when we see our friends in the hallway. also the students here get referrals for no reason. and when we get referrals the teachers, or administrators don't allow us to explain everything that happened. they write down what they seen in their own eyes and that's not fair to us because half the time they be wrong. THIS CONCLUDES MY RESPONSE. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Garrett Middle 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	754	754
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	941	941
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	974	974
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1004	1004
1994	710	134	10	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	863
1995	721	206	13	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	956
1996	721	206	13	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	956
1997	674	270	13	25	2	n/a	n/a	0	984
1998	604	299	14	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	953
1999	568	302	11	47	0	n/a	n/a	0	928
2000	535	417	14	51	1	n/a	n/a	0	1018
2001	504	505	16	75	3	n/a	n/a	0	1103
2002	294	495	10	88	6	n/a	n/a	0	893
2003	294	495	10	88	6	n/a	n/a	0	893
2004	247	537	10	109	2	n/a	n/a	0	905
2005	182	521	10	115	0	n/a	n/a	32	860
2006	170	570	9	133	3	n/a	n/a	36	921
2007	150	559	16	162	2	n/a	n/a	34	923
2008	146	529	18	168	0	n/a	n/a	34	895
2009	136	513	12	186	0	n/a	n/a	38	885
2010	115	554	11	173	2	0	0	0	855
2011	102	559	8	182	3	0	19	0	873
2012	108	563	12	179	4	0	16	0	882
2013	106	517	9	186	4	0	22	0	844
2014	107	490	10	189	3	0	17	0	816
2015	93	496	4	223	1	0	14	0	831
2016	94	539	1	254	1	0	18	0	907
2017	82	499	3	248	1	0	22	0	855
2018	72	491	4	261	1	0	28	0	857
2019	75	495	5	288	1	0	24	0	888
2020	68	504	3	357	1	2	18	0	953
2021	60	518	6	348	3	2	21	0	958
2022	52	502	5	359	3	2	28	0	951
2023	61	470	3	343	3	2	24	0	906

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 Garrett Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	754	39.0	19.3	9
1991	941	51.0	18.4	11.9
1992	974	56.0	17.3	15
1993	1004	58.0	17.3	17
1994	863	54.8	15.7	23.3
1995	956	60.0	15.9	23.1
1996	956	60.0	15.9	23.1
1997	984	64.0	15.4	34.1
1998	953	62.8	15.2	37.1
1999	928	62.3	14.9	39.9
2000	1018	62.7	16.2	46.1
2001	1103	76.7	14.4	48.6
2002	893	62.1	14.4	57.6
2003	893	62.1	14.4	57.6
2004	905	61.7	14.7	62.9
2005	860	60.6	14.2	69.7
2006	921	62.6	14.7	68.4
2007	923	69.1	13.4	71.9
2008	895	72.5	12.3	75.5
2009	885	75.5	11.7	82.3
2010	855	67.5	12.6	82.1
2011	873	61.0	14.3	84.3
2012	882	59.0	14.9	81.5
2013	844	57.0	14.8	86
2014	816	54.5	14.9	85
2015	831	51.0	16.2	85.9
2016	907	54.0	16.7	88.4
2017	855	50.2	17.0	90.3
2018	857	52.0	16.4	87
2019	888	52.4	16.9	88
2020	953	59.3	16.0	88
2021	958	59.7	16.0	78.8
2022	951	60.7	15.6	n/a
2023	906	61.1	14.8	85

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 Garrett Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	754	39.0	19.3	9
1991	941	51.0	18.4	11.9
1992	974	56.0	17.3	15
1993	1004	58.0	17.3	17
1994	863	54.8	15.7	23.3
1995	956	60.0	15.9	23.1
1996	956	60.0	15.9	23.1
1997	984	64.0	15.4	34.1
1998	953	62.8	15.2	37.1
1999	928	62.3	14.9	39.9
2000	1018	62.7	16.2	46.1
2001	1103	76.7	14.4	48.6
2002	893	62.1	14.4	57.6
2003	893	62.1	14.4	57.6
2004	905	61.7	14.7	62.9
2005	860	60.6	14.2	69.7
2006	921	62.6	14.7	68.4
2007	923	69.1	13.4	71.9
2008	895	72.5	12.3	75.5
2009	885	75.5	11.7	82.3
2010	855	67.5	12.6	82.1
2011	873	61.0	14.3	84.3
2012	882	59.0	14.9	81.5
2013	844	57.0	14.8	86
2014	816	54.5	14.9	85
2015	831	51.0	16.2	85.9
2016	907	54.0	16.7	88.4
2017	855	50.2	17.0	90.3
2018	857	52.0	16.4	87
2019	888	52.4	16.9	88
2020	953	59.3	16.0	88
2021	958	59.7	16.0	78.8
2022	951	60.7	15.6	n/a
2023	906	61.1	14.8	85

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 Garrett Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$812 (9.6%)	$7,620 (90.4%)	$8,432
2018	$614 (7.2%)	$7,963 (92.9%)	$8,576
2019	$826 (9.3%)	$8,056 (90.7%)	$8,882

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Garrett Middle 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 404^th of 559 Middle schools	Ranks 388^th of 577 Middle schools	5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Garrett Middle School)	30.4	27.8	2.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Cobb County)	56.9	50.6	6.3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	46	39.2	6.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Garrett Middle School)	28.8	16.1	12.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Cobb County)	54	43.2	10.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	40	32.9	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Garrett Middle School)	21.2	28.5	7.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Cobb County)	48.5	51.5	3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	39	39.1	0.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Garrett Middle School)	25.7	25.9	0.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Cobb County)	54.9	44.8	10.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	43	34.9	8.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Garrett Middle School)	36.4	27.9	8.5%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Cobb County)	58.6	51.2	7.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	47	42.1	4.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Garrett Middle School)	16.5	27.2	10.7%
8th Grade Mathematics (Cobb County)	47.3	44.8	2.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	35	36.2	1.2%
8th Grade Science (Garrett Middle School)	23.4	26.8	3.4%
8th Grade Science (Cobb County)	41.3	30.6	10.7%
8th Grade Science (Georgia)	32	26.4	5.6%
8th Grade Social Studies (Garrett Middle School)	32.4	13.3	19.1%
8th Grade Social Studies (Cobb County)	51	44.5	6.5%
8th Grade Social Studies (Georgia)	41	35.9	5.1%
End of Course Algebra I (Garrett Middle School)	48.7	78.3	29.6%
End of Course Algebra I (Cobb County)	54.2	46.6	7.6%
End of Course Algebra I (Georgia)	41.1	35.8	5.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	888	906	2%
African American	495	470	5.1%
American Indian	1	3	200%
Asian	5	3	40%
Hispanic	288	343	19.1%
Pacific Islander	0	2
White	75	61	18.7%
Two or More Races	24	24
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	88%	85%	3%

Schools Near Garrett Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (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 Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th 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
Garrett Middle School	Public	6-8	5235 Austell Powder Springs Rd	Austell	30106	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 819-2466	906	61	14.8	85.0%	61 (6.7%)	470 (51.9%)	343 (37.9%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	24 (2.6%)	34.1	377^th of 588 public middle schools	35.9%		32.8	388^th of 577 public middle schools	32.8%	11	95.8	35.9	22.6	31.9	21.8	27.0	29.4	27.0	20.2	$8,882	$826	$8,056
Cooper Middle School	Public	6-8	4605 Ewing Rd	Austell	30106	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 819-2438	982	65	15.1	70.9%	56 (5.7%)	623 (63.4%)	243 (24.7%)	10 (1.0%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.8%)	63.7	186^th of 588 public middle schools	68.4%		66	164^th of 577 public middle schools	71.6%	22	91.8	39.8	42.0	48.3	35.0	41.4	46.0	40.9	44.8	$8,481	$666	$7,816
Turner Middle School	Public	6-8	7101 Turner Dr	Lithia Springs	30122	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-5500	740	50	14.7	81.2%	77 (10.4%)	312 (42.2%)	314 (42.4%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.7%)	24 (3.2%)	23.2	452^nd of 588 public middle schools	23.1%		30	406^th of 577 public middle schools	29.6%	46	50.0	29.4	19.4	35.7	7.0	14.4	17.5	15.6	22.7	$9,407	$1,077	$8,330
Tapp Middle School	Public	6-8	3900 Macedonia Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 222-3758	873	59	14.8	65.9%	65 (7.4%)	513 (58.8%)	239 (27.4%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (5.6%)	59.7	211^th of 588 public middle schools	64.1%		62.4	191^st of 577 public middle schools	66.9%	20	90.0	44.5	38.0	48.6	40.1	44.4	35.6	31.3	35.6	$8,621	$550	$8,071
Floyd Middle School	Public	6-8	4803 Floyd Rd SW	Mableton	30126	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 819-2453	845	60	14.0	80.4%	54 (6.4%)	299 (35.4%)	455 (53.8%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.2%)	36.8	361^st of 588 public middle schools	38.6%		39.4	337^th of 577 public middle schools	41.6%	24	95.8	32.1	36.2	32.3	21.5	29.2	35.8	20.1	21.9	$9,579	$684	$8,895
Smitha Middle School	Public	6-8	2025 Powder Springs Rd SW	Marietta	30064	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 594-8267	881	68	12.9	82.1%	46 (5.2%)	244 (27.7%)	541 (61.4%)	19 (2.2%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	25 (2.8%)	31.6	400^th of 588 public middle schools	32.0%		30.9	400^th of 577 public middle schools	30.7%		90.9	32.9	24.6	35.5	24.9	18.8	31.0	18.1	21.9	$9,534	$700	$8,835
Lindley Middle School	Public	6-8	50 Veterans Memorial Hwy SE	Mableton	30126	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 819-2496	1,096	71	15.4	82.3%	25 (2.3%)	550 (50.2%)	499 (45.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (1.7%)	35.2	370^th of 588 public middle schools	37.1%		32	394^th of 577 public middle schools	31.7%	24	86.4	25.9	21.3	41.2	15.9	22.3	38.4	24.8	28.7	$8,862	$688	$8,173
J. A. Dobbins Middle School	Public	6-8	637 Williams Lake Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Paulding County	No	No	No	No	(770) 443-4835	532	41	12.9	60.9%	164 (30.8%)	206 (38.7%)	123 (23.1%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (6.4%)	41.2	327^th of 588 public middle schools	44.4%		47.4	278^th of 577 public middle schools	51.8%	49	80.5	36.0	40.1	40.0	16.8	34.6	33.7	14.3	28.0	$10,437	$360	$10,077
Lovinggood Middle School	Public	6-8	3825 Luther Ward Rd	Powder Springs	30127	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 331-3015	1,235	72	17.1	26.6%	493 (39.9%)	413 (33.4%)	204 (16.5%)	46 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (6.2%)	89.9	55^th of 588 public middle schools	90.6%		86.4	72^nd of 577 public middle schools	87.5%	17	92.4	62.7	60.3	64.3	59.0	60.8	60.5	44.8	63.7	$8,098	$219	$7,880
Chestnut Log Middle School	Public	6-8	2544 Pope Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-5100	726	48	15.1	77.8%	67 (9.2%)	434 (59.8%)	168 (23.1%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	46 (6.3%)	23.5	450^th of 588 public middle schools	23.5%		26.2	429^th of 577 public middle schools	25.6%	21	66.7	25.9	28.9	27.8	16.6	17.7	22.9	14.7	13.9	$9,551	$948	$8,603

Frequently Asked Questions about Garrett Middle School

How many students attend Garrett Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 906 students attended Garrett Middle School.

What district is Garrett Middle School in?

Cobb County

What high school do graduates of Garrett Middle School attend?

Students who attend Garrett Middle School usually go on to attend South Cobb High School

Is Garrett Middle School a good school?

Garrett Middle School ranks 377^th of 588 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Garrett Middle School?

Students at Garrett Middle School are 52% African American, 38% Hispanic, 7% White, 3% Two or more races.

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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.