Barrow County, GA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Barrow County

Barrow County Schools serves a growing school district in north-central Georgia, spanning communities including Winder, Auburn, Statham, Braselton, Bethlehem, and Monroe. The enrollment is moderate for its region, with substantial diversity: about half the students identify as white, roughly a quarter as Hispanic, and a significant share as Black or Asian. The district operates a single high school and an academy alongside traditional elementary and middle schools, giving families some choice within the system.

Test results across the district show proficiency well below the midpoint. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through eight hover in the low-to-mid range. Math performance is similarly modest, dipping notably in grade six before recovering somewhat by grade eight. Science proficiency in grade five sits below a third, and eighth-grade science is lower still. Social studies results at eighth grade are also in the low range. The data represents the most recent testing year and provides a snapshot of where student mastery stands. A parent considering the district should look directly into what academic supports, interventions, or curriculum shifts the schools have underway, since these results suggest most students are not yet meeting grade-level standards.

Housing in the county is moderately priced relative to the state and nation. Home values are stable with a slight recent decline. Rental costs remain modest, and the district offers a significant property-tax advantage for older homeowners: in 2024, voters approved a major expansion of the senior school-tax homestead exemption, exempting homes and up to five acres from school tax for residents 70 and older and substantially raising exemptions for those 62 to 69. This shapes the market considerably for families in those age brackets. The school millage rate has been adjusted in recent years, and new residential development is driving tax-digest growth, meaning homeowners' actual school bills may rise even as the rate fluctuates. Mortgage affordability remains reasonable for the region.

A major turning point for the district came in September 2024 when a shooting occurred at Apalachee High School. In response, the Board of Education approved a significant expansion of the School Resource Officer program, roughly doubling on-campus law-enforcement presence district-wide. This is now a defining characteristic of the school environment and a substantial budget commitment the district has pledged to maintain. For families, the expanded SRO presence is a material factor in evaluating school safety and climate.

Financially, the district approved an extension of ESPLOST VII, a sales-tax measure for education, in a 2023 referendum. This funding stream supports construction, technology, transportation, and prior bond debt without requiring homeowners to absorb a separate property-tax debt-service millage, a meaningful structural advantage compared to districts without such a mechanism.

The district operates seventeen schools across pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. No data on special education enrollment, English learner populations, or free-and-reduced-price lunch rates was available, which would otherwise help clarify the scope of academic support needs. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data were also not provided. For a family evaluating Barrow County, the academic proficiency results and recent school safety actions are the most salient current factors, alongside the moderate housing costs and property-tax structure that favor retirement-age homeowners.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

15,277

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 27%

Black 15%

White 47%

Asian 5%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

17 schools are officially reported under this district.

Bramlett Elementary School

Statham Elementary School

Holsenbeck Elementary School

Winder-Barrow High School

County Line Elementary School

Bear Creek Middle School

Bethlehem Elementary School

Auburn Elementary School

Westside Middle School

Kennedy Elementary School

Russell Middle School

Yargo Elementary School

Apalachee High School

Haymon-Morris Middle School

Winder Elementary School

Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy

Austin Road Elementary School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

40%

Grade 3

41%

Grade 4

37%

Grade 5

28%

Grade 6

34%

Grade 7

44%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

27%

Grade 3

32%

Grade 4

38%

Grade 5

34%

Grade 6

36%

Grade 7

37%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

30%

Grade 5

27%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

31%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$367,512

Year-over-year change-0.9%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$346K to $497K

vs. state typical1.10x

vs. national typical1.00x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
30680	Winder	$346K	-0.3%	55.9%
30666	Statham	$389K	-0.9%	13.2%
30011	Auburn	$380K	-2.9%	12.2%
30620	Bethlehem	$369K	-1.4%	10.8%
30548	Braselton	$488K	-1.9%	5.0%
30656	Monroe	$402K	+1.7%	1.5%
30517	Braselton	$446K	-1.1%	1.3%
30622	Bogart	$497K	+1.0%	0.2%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,095/mo

Year-over-year change+2.6%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$1,685 to $2,429/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
30680	Winder	$2,077	+2.0%	55.9%
30011	Auburn	$2,171	+1.7%	12.2%
30620	Bethlehem	$2,145	+8.3%	10.8%
30548	Braselton	$2,045	-1.3%	5.0%
30656	Monroe	$1,685	—	1.5%
30517	Braselton	$2,429	+3.6%	1.3%
30622	Bogart	$2,238	—	0.2%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,854/mo

Home price / national median income4.4x

Annual rent / national median income30.0%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$240/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$333,559 (-1.2% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.