Decatur County Schools & Education
Decatur County, Georgia
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
41/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
89.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
89.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.1%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,982
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,405
School Score
41/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 50/100
State Score Position
#117
of 159 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Decatur County
Measured School Summary
Decatur County performs at an average level with a school score of 41/100 and a solid graduation rate of 89.0%.
Funding Context
At $6,982 per pupil, Decatur County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 18% below the Georgia average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 0.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Decatur County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
7 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
41/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #117 of 159 Georgia counties with school score data.
Completion
89.0%
0.9 pts above the state average
Funding context
$6,982
$423 below the state average
School coverage
7
2 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Decatur County has 7 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Decatur County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Small-system county
Decatur County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.
State position
#117
of 159 Georgia counties with school score data. The county score is 9 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Decatur County
Elementary to high school visible
4,310 students
6 listed schools in this county slice.
State Charter Schools II- Spring Creek Charter Academy
Other grade structure
413 students
1 listed school in this county slice.
District reality check
Decatur County is the largest listed district slice, with 6 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Decatur County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Decatur County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Decatur County per-pupil spending falls below state and national levels
Education data brief for Decatur County, Georgia.
In Decatur County, per-pupil expenditure is $6,982, nearly $500 less than the Georgia state average of $7,405 and roughly $6,000 below the national average of $13,000. The county’s education system is split between two districts: the Decatur County district, serving 4,310 students, and the Spring Creek Charter Academy, which enrolls 413 students. This charter presence accounts for 14.3% of the county's seven public schools. The largest school is Bainbridge High School, with 1,229 students. Despite the lower spending levels, the county’s graduation rate of 89.0% is higher than the national average of 87.0% and the state average of 88.1%. However, the composite school score of 41.2 remains below the state average of 49.6. School locales are a mix of town and rural settings. Check the NCES Common Core of Data for detailed school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
7
in Decatur County
Reported Enrollment
4,723
7 schools reporting
School Districts
2
districts
Charter Schools
1
14% of total
School Level Breakdown
2 School Districts in Decatur County
Decatur County
GuideState Charter Schools II- Spring Creek Charter Academy
7 Public Schools in Decatur County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 7 of 7 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bainbridge High School | Profile | Decatur County | Bainbridge, 39819Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 1,229 |
| Bainbridge Middle School | Record | Decatur County | Bainbridge, 39819Town: Distant | 6–8 | Middle | 919 |
| Hutto Elementary School | Record | Decatur County | Bainbridge, 39817Town: Distant | 3–5 | Primary | 792 |
| Jones-Wheat Primary School | Record | Decatur County | Bainbridge, 39817Town: Distant | PK–2 | Primary | 682 |
| West Bainbridge Primary School | Record | Decatur County | Bainbridge, 39817Rural: Fringe | PK–2 | Primary | 510 |
| Spring Creek Charter Academy | Record | State Charter Schools II- Spring Creek Charter Academy | Bainbridge, 39817Rural: Fringe | KG–9 | Charter | 413 |
| New Beginning Learning Center | Record | Decatur County | Bainbridge, 39819Town: Distant | 6–12 | High | 178 |
Bainbridge High School
Decatur County
Bainbridge, 39819 / Rural: Fringe
Jones-Wheat Primary School
Decatur County
Bainbridge, 39817 / Town: Distant
West Bainbridge Primary School
Decatur County
Bainbridge, 39817 / Rural: Fringe
Spring Creek Charter Academy
State Charter Schools II- Spring Creek Charter Academy
Bainbridge, 39817 / Rural: Fringe
New Beginning Learning Center
Decatur County
Bainbridge, 39819 / Town: Distant
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,982
State avg $7,405
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Decatur County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Georgia counties have the highest graduation rates?
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What is the graduation rate in Decatur County?
How much does Decatur County spend per student?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.