Waldo Pafford Elementary School

Q: Is Waldo Pafford Elementary School a good school?

Waldo Pafford Elementary School ranks 695 th of 1248 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Waldo Pafford Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Hinesville, Georgia, serving 831 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Liberty County School District, which is ranked 132 out of 203 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite spending more per student than many nearby schools, Waldo Pafford Elementary consistently underperforms on state assessments, with only 27.8% of 3rd graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 32% in the district and 38.4% statewide. The school's high poverty rate, with 59.21% to 69.55% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, is likely a significant factor in its academic challenges. Additionally, the student-teacher ratio has increased from 15.3 to 20.8 over the past few years, which may be contributing to the school's struggles.

When compared to other schools in the area, Taylors Creek Elementary and Liberty Elementary, both in the Liberty County School District, significantly outperform Waldo Pafford on state assessments. Schools outside the district, such as Martha Rawls Smith Elementary in Wayne County and South Tattnall Elementary in Tattnall County, also outperform Waldo Pafford, suggesting that the school's struggles are not solely due to the high poverty levels in the region.

Detail:

Public K-5

2550 15th St
Hinesville, GA 31313

(912) 877-4188

District: Liberty County

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

Students who attend Waldo Pafford Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Bradwell Institute

Student/teacher ratio: 20.8

Number of students: 831

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.9%

White:

17.3%

Hispanic:

16.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 69.6%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Waldo Pafford Elementary School ranks worse than 55.7% of elementary schools in Georgia. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 39.96. (See more...)

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger Rankings:

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

Liberty County:

SchoolDigger ranks Liberty County 132^nd of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Waldo Pafford Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	77.53	207^th	1101	81.2%
2007	75.53	251^st	1125	77.7%
2008	72.95	273^rd	1134	75.9%
2009	73.57	272^nd	1133	76.0%
2010	66.46	436^th	1183	63.1%
2011	64.54	499^th	1212	58.8%
2012	73.28	315^th	1201	73.8%
2013	66.99	445^th	1225	63.7%
2014	57.58	631^st	1231	48.7%
2015	39.88	728^th	1240	41.3%
2016	41.92	686^th	1233	44.4%
2017	30.67	828^th	1205	31.3%
2018	51.65	535^th	1209	55.7%
2019	48.00	612^th	1234	50.4%
2021	34.00	767^th	1214	36.8%
2022	38.32	725^th	1244	41.7%
2023	45.73	610^th	1242	50.9%
2024	39.96	695^th	1248	44.3%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Waldo Pafford Elementary School USED to be excellent once, since the new principal and assistant principal came this school is NO LONGER #1 for elementary schools. They are very racist and have no respect to the students and parents, not very helpful at all, ALWAYS ASKING FOR MONEY and always adding fraudulent charges on my child books, i.e. booking missing or lunch money when my child is on free lunch. Next year i'll homeschool or will be attending private school.
WARNING: DO NOT ATTEND WALDO PAFFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Close Quote

Enrollment information for Waldo Pafford Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2001	283	438	16	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	771
2002	257	405	13	39	2	n/a	n/a	0	716
2003	257	405	13	39	2	n/a	n/a	0	716
2004	274	381	18	39	1	n/a	n/a	0	713
2005	199	343	13	26	1	n/a	n/a	63	645
2006	175	341	14	22	2	n/a	n/a	82	636
2007	162	317	13	42	1	n/a	n/a	79	614
2008	144	263	9	31	2	n/a	n/a	80	529
2009	141	256	13	34	3	n/a	n/a	88	535
2010	122	289	11	73	5	3	51	0	554
2011	161	267	9	99	2	4	61	0	603
2012	183	288	10	79	1	6	46	0	613
2013	173	319	13	74	3	7	62	0	651
2014	148	391	15	115	0	5	55	0	729
2015	170	424	15	117	0	4	71	0	801
2016	113	323	12	117	0	1	57	0	623
2017	109	338	9	110	0	1	44	0	611
2018	115	328	9	109	1	1	43	0	606
2019	95	333	9	121	2	4	55	0	619
2020	107	332	15	125	3	3	57	0	642
2021	117	323	14	110	3	4	59	0	630
2022	122	418	11	118	3	5	66	0	743
2023	144	448	10	134	3	9	83	0	831

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 Waldo Pafford Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2001	771	39.9	19.3	62.8
2002	716	43.4	16.5	73
2003	716	43.4	16.5	73
2004	713	35.9	19.9	63.8
2005	645	49.9	12.9	68.2
2006	636	47.0	13.5	76
2007	614	42.3	14.5	77.8
2008	529	37.6	14.1	81.1
2009	535	37.4	14.3	80.5
2010	554	38.5	14.3	65.9
2011	603	36.2	16.6	66.5
2012	613	40.2	15.2	66.7
2013	651	42.2	15.4	71.6
2014	729	47.7	15.2	73.4
2015	801	53.0	15.1	69.8
2016	623	50.0	12.4	67.3
2017	611	40.8	14.9	68.4
2018	606	42.2	14.3	68
2019	619	39.0	15.8	64.3
2020	642	39.0	16.4	64.8
2021	630	41.0	15.3	59.2
2022	743	42.0	17.6	n/a
2023	831	39.9	20.8	69.6

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 Waldo Pafford Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2001	771	39.9	19.3	62.8
2002	716	43.4	16.5	73
2003	716	43.4	16.5	73
2004	713	35.9	19.9	63.8
2005	645	49.9	12.9	68.2
2006	636	47.0	13.5	76
2007	614	42.3	14.5	77.8
2008	529	37.6	14.1	81.1
2009	535	37.4	14.3	80.5
2010	554	38.5	14.3	65.9
2011	603	36.2	16.6	66.5
2012	613	40.2	15.2	66.7
2013	651	42.2	15.4	71.6
2014	729	47.7	15.2	73.4
2015	801	53.0	15.1	69.8
2016	623	50.0	12.4	67.3
2017	611	40.8	14.9	68.4
2018	606	42.2	14.3	68
2019	619	39.0	15.8	64.3
2020	642	39.0	16.4	64.8
2021	630	41.0	15.3	59.2
2022	743	42.0	17.6	n/a
2023	831	39.9	20.8	69.6

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 Waldo Pafford Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$550 (6.0%)	$8,654 (94.0%)	$9,204
2018	$542 (5.4%)	$9,585 (94.6%)	$10,127
2019	$546 (5.3%)	$9,737 (94.7%)	$10,283

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Waldo Pafford 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 612^th of 1234 Elementary schools	Ranks 610^th of 1242 Elementary schools	0.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	42.1	39.7	2.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Liberty County)	38.1	30.1	8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	38.6	3.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	46.1	44.3	1.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Liberty County)	46.8	42.9	3.9%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	52	45.6	6.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	41	34.8	6.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Liberty County)	38.5	27.4	11.1%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	36.1	5.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	49	40.9	8.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Liberty County)	46.9	36.3	10.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	49	45.7	3.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	40.9	36.7	4.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Liberty County)	38.6	37.8	0.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	45	41.6	3.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	31.8	12.5	19.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Liberty County)	26.2	22.9	3.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	41	37.4	3.6%
5th Grade Science (Waldo Pafford Elementary School)	38.9	36.7	2.2%
5th Grade Science (Liberty County)	37.2	34.8	2.4%
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	619	831	34.2%
African American	333	448	34.5%
American Indian	2	3	50%
Asian	9	10	11.1%
Hispanic	121	134	10.7%
Pacific Islander	4	9	125%
White	95	144	51.6%
Two or More Races	55	83	50.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	64.3%	69.6%	5.3%

Schools Near Waldo Pafford 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
Waldo Pafford Elementary School	Public	K-5	2550 15th St	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 877-4188	831	40	20.8	69.6%	144 (17.3%)	448 (53.9%)	134 (16.1%)	10 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	9 (1.1%)	83 (10.0%)	40	695^th of 1248 public elementary schools	44.3%		45.7	610^th of 1242 public elementary schools	50.9%	85	27.8	31.4	52.0	16.7	40.7	29.7	47.5	$10,283	$546	$9,737
Taylors Creek Elementary School	Public	K-5	378 Airport Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 369-0378	625	49	12.8	69.6%	147 (23.5%)	277 (44.3%)	101 (16.2%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	90 (14.4%)	70.3	342^nd of 1248 public elementary schools	72.6%		58	472^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	62.0%	130	52.0	37.5	49.1	62.3	75.0	51.4	38.7	$9,392	$538	$8,854
Lyman Hall Elementary School	Public	K-5	1396 Shaw Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 368-3348	604	40	15.1	86.4%	91 (15.1%)	351 (58.1%)	81 (13.4%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	13 (2.2%)	62 (10.3%)	21.9	983^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	21.2%		26.5	892^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	28.2%	91	22.2	23.3	37.8	26.5	29.4	15.3	16.3	$9,238	$602	$8,636
Frank Long Elementary School	Public	K-5	920 Long Frasier Dr	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 368-3595	728	47	15.4	76.9%	113 (15.5%)	439 (60.3%)	87 (12.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	85 (11.7%)	40.3	691^st of 1248 public elementary schools	44.6%		35.4	762^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	38.6%	71	35.0	30.2	35.5	56.9	46.1	22.3	24.0	$10,606	$590	$10,015
Button Gwinnett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	635 Taylor Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 876-0146	1,119	38	29.4	75.7%	182 (16.3%)	619 (55.3%)	162 (14.5%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.4%)	144 (12.9%)	27.7	885^th of 1248 public elementary schools	29.1%		28.2	867^th of 1242 public elementary schools	30.2%	18	22.0	30.4	29.7	22.0	44.3	23.8	27.7	$10,510	$612	$9,897
Joseph Martin Elementary School	Public	K-5	1000 Joseph Martin Rd	Hinesville	31313	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 368-3114	772	43	17.8	63.7%	161 (20.9%)	369 (47.8%)	136 (17.6%)	11 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (0.9%)	86 (11.1%)	33.8	787^th of 1248 public elementary schools	36.9%		49.2	557^th of 1242 public elementary schools	55.2%	230	27.5	22.1	41.3	33.6	32.7	27.0	37.2	$9,456	$553	$8,903
McClelland Elementary School	Public	3-5	2015 US Highway 84 E	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 545-7910	931	52	17.8	72.1%	437 (46.9%)	233 (25.0%)	151 (16.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	102 (11.0%)	26	915^th of 1248 public elementary schools	26.7%		33.7	785^th of 1242 public elementary schools	36.8%	130	22.6	22.5	30.7	33.7	34.9	21.2	26.6	$7,214	$553	$6,661
Smiley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1530 Ga Highway 57	Ludowici	31316	Long County	Long County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 545-2147	1,258	64	19.6	67.0%	604 (48.0%)	290 (23.1%)	220 (17.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.6%)	134 (10.7%)								(n/a)								$9,838	$576	$9,263
Liberty Elementary School	Public	K-5	600 Edgewater Dr	Midway	31320	Liberty County	Liberty County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 884-3326	737	49	14.9	64.6%	316 (42.9%)	276 (37.4%)	68 (9.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	74 (10.0%)	33.8	788^th of 1248 public elementary schools	36.9%		42.1	658^th of 1242 public elementary schools	47.0%	130	35.6	27.4	36.5	36.5	45.3	21.2	23.5	$10,320	$510	$9,810
Martha Rawls Smith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1206 N 4th St	Jesup	31545	Wayne County	Wayne County	No	No	No	Yes	(912) 427-1044	610	45	13.5	75.2%	261 (42.8%)	201 (33.0%)	97 (15.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (8.0%)	30.6	843^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	32.5%		28.1	870^th of 1242 public elementary schools	30.0%	27	34.5	16.7	31.7	40.2	31.5	19.5	33.3	$9,813	$948	$8,865

Frequently Asked Questions about Waldo Pafford Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Waldo Pafford Elementary School?

Students at Waldo Pafford Elementary School are 54% African American, 17% White, 16% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Waldo Pafford Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Waldo Pafford Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Bradwell Institute

How many students attend Waldo Pafford Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 831 students attended Waldo Pafford Elementary School.

What district is Waldo Pafford Elementary School in?

Liberty County

Is Waldo Pafford Elementary School a good school?

Waldo Pafford Elementary School ranks 695^th of 1248 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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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.