schoolsbycounty

Pierce County Schools & Education

School Score

37/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

86.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

86.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.1%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,287

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,405

School Score

37/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 50/100

State Score Position

#127

of 159 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Pierce County

Measured School Summary

Pierce County faces educational challenges with a school score of 37/100 and a graduation rate of 86.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $7,287 per pupil, Pierce County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 26% below the Georgia average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 2.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 2% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Pierce 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

5 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

37/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #127 of 159 Georgia counties with school score data.

Completion

86.0%

2.1 pts below the state average

Funding context

$7,287

$118 below the state average

School coverage

5

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

Pierce County has 5 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.

Parent decision brief

What Pierce 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

Pierce 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

#127

of 159 Georgia counties with school score data. The county score is 13 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.

Pierce County

Elementary to high school visible

3,637 students

Elementary 3Middle 1High 1Other 0

5 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Pierce County is the largest listed district slice, with 5 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 Pierce 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

Pierce County School Score Trails State and National Benchmarks

Education data brief for Pierce County, Georgia.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:School score

Pierce County recorded a composite school score of 37.1, a figure that sits below both the Georgia state average of 49.6 and the national median of 50.0. The county’s five public schools, all situated in rural locales, serve a total enrollment of 3,637 students. Pierce County High School is the largest campus in the single-district system, with 1,033 students. While the graduation rate of 86.0% is nearly aligned with the national average of 87.0%, it remains slightly below the state average of 88.1%. Financial data shows a per-pupil expenditure of $7,287, which is less than the state average of $7,405 and significantly lower than the national average of $13,000. All primary and secondary instruction is managed by the Pierce County School District across three elementary, one middle, and one high school. There are currently no charter schools operating within the county boundaries. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

5

in Pierce County

Reported Enrollment

3,637

5 schools reporting

School Districts

1

district

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3
Middle1
High1
Other0

1 School District in Pierce County

Pierce County

Guide
5 schools
3,637 students enrolled
Open district guide

5 Public Schools in Pierce 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 data

Level

Showing 5 of 5 matching schools

Pierce County High School

Pierce County

Blackshear, 31516 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High1,033 students

Pierce County Middle School

Pierce County

Blackshear, 31516 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle827 students

Blackshear Elementary School

Pierce County

Blackshear, 31516 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary812 students

Midway Elementary School

Pierce County

Blackshear, 31516 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary489 students

Patterson Elementary School

Pierce County

Patterson, 31557 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary476 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,287

State avg $7,405

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Pierce County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Georgia counties have the highest graduation rates?
Oconee County (98.0%), Bleckley County (97.0%), and Haralson County (97.0%) currently lead Georgia among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.
What is per-pupil spending like in Georgia?
Across Georgia counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,405. The highest current county values are Towns County ($10,107), Burke County ($9,829), and Quitman County ($9,756). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.
How should I read the school score in Pierce County?
Pierce County has a school score of 37/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.
What is the graduation rate in Pierce County?
The high school graduation rate in Pierce County is 86.0%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.
How much does Pierce County spend per student?
Pierce County spends $7,287 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.