McDuffie County Schools & Education
McDuffie County, Georgia
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
28/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
82.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
82.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.1%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,139
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,405
School Score
28/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 50/100
State Score Position
#140
of 159 counties by score
Education Data Brief: McDuffie County
Measured School Summary
McDuffie County faces educational challenges with a school score of 28/100 and a graduation rate of 82.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $7,139 per pupil, McDuffie County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 43% below the Georgia average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 6.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 4% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read McDuffie 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
6 public schools and 1 district 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
28/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #140 of 159 Georgia counties with school score data.
Completion
82.0%
6.1 pts below the state average
Funding context
$7,139
$266 below the state average
School coverage
6
1 district represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
McDuffie County has 6 public schools across 1 district, 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 McDuffie 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
McDuffie 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
#140
of 159 Georgia counties with school score data. The county score is 22 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.
McDuffie County
Elementary to high school visible
3,272 students
6 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
McDuffie 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 McDuffie County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
McDuffie County School Score Falls Below State Median
Education data brief for McDuffie County, Georgia.
McDuffie County records a composite school score of 28.3, a figure significantly lower than the Georgia state average of 49.6 and the national median of 50.0. This metric serves as the primary differentiator for the county's single school district, which manages a total enrollment of 3,272 students across six public schools. The largest of these institutions is Thomson High School, which serves 986 students. While the county's graduation rate of 82.0% is closer to the national average of 87.0%, it remains lower than the statewide average of 88.1%. Financial data shows per-pupil expenditure at $7,139, which is approximately $266 less than the state average and nearly $6,000 below the national benchmark of $13,000. The district operates primarily in rural and town locales, with no charter schools present. Refer to the NCES Common Core of Data for detailed school-level financial and enrollment records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
6
in McDuffie County
Reported Enrollment
3,272
6 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in McDuffie County
McDuffie County
6 Public Schools in McDuffie 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 6 of 6 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomson High School | Profile | McDuffie County | Thomson, 30824Rural: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 986 |
| Thomson-McDuffie Middle School | Record | McDuffie County | Thomson, 30824Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 782 |
| Maxwell Elementary School | Record | McDuffie County | Thomson, 30824Rural: Fringe | PK–1 | Primary | 467 |
| Dearing Elementary School | Record | McDuffie County | Dearing, 30808Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 441 |
| Norris Elementary School | Record | McDuffie County | Thomson, 30824Town: Distant | 4–5 | Primary | 304 |
| Thomson Elementary School | Record | McDuffie County | Thomson, 30824Town: Distant | 2–3 | Primary | 292 |
Thomson High School
McDuffie County
Thomson, 30824 / Rural: Fringe
Thomson-McDuffie Middle School
McDuffie County
Thomson, 30824 / Rural: Fringe
Dearing Elementary School
McDuffie County
Dearing, 30808 / Rural: Distant
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,139
State avg $7,405
Compare Nearby Counties
Review McDuffie County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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What is the graduation rate in McDuffie County?
How much does McDuffie 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.