Gordon County, GA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Gordon County

Gordon County Schools serves students from prekindergarten through grade 12 across a district with a rural and small-town character in northwest Georgia. The enrollment spans several small communities including Calhoun, Adairsville, Fairmount, and surrounding areas, with a student body that is predominantly white, along with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students.

Academic performance across the district falls in the lower range. In English language arts, proficiency rates run in the upper teens to low forties across the tested grades, with third graders at the lowest point and fifth graders reaching a higher mark. Mathematics proficiency is similar or slightly stronger, ranging from the mid-thirties to nearly half in grade five and eighth grade. Science proficiency in the measured grades is slightly better. Social studies proficiency at eighth grade is in the upper thirties. These are areas where families should recognize that a substantial share of students are not meeting state proficiency standards, and a parent may want to look into current instructional support and intervention strategies the district has underway.

The district operates ten schools: five elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. This configuration allows for some choice in school assignment depending on residence, though the district structure itself is small. The student body has not been subjected to a wide disparity in school resources or access to programs across these individual schools based on the data available; specific program information by school or district-wide course access was not available in this review.

Housing in the district ranges from affordable to moderate, with median home values below the state average and reflecting the area's rural and small-town economy. Rents are similarly modest. Property tax bills combine county and school levies; the school millage rate has been held steady, but families moving into the district should be aware that rising property assessments will increase tax bills even when the rate does not change. A state homestead exemption that took effect in 2025 limits the annual increase in taxable home value to the inflation rate, which provides some relief for owner-occupied homes going forward.

The district has invested in classroom and facility upgrades through a renewal of its local education sales tax, the ESPLOST, which runs through 2027 and funds renovation, technology, and athletic facility work without raising property tax rates. This visible, multi-year commitment to infrastructure is a steady factor for families considering the area.

The schools serve a population that is not economically advantaged; data on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, but demographic composition and community economic indicators suggest a working-class or rural base. The district's academic performance suggests students would benefit from targeted literacy and mathematics interventions, particularly in the elementary and early middle grades where proficiency lags.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

6,292

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 20%

Black 2%

White 74%

Asian 1%

Two+ 3%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

10 schools are officially reported under this district.

Fairmount Elementary School

Belwood Elementary School

Swain Elementary School

Tolbert Elementary School

Gordon Central High School

Red Bud Elementary School

Ashworth Middle School

Sonoraville High School

Sonoraville Elementary

Red Bud Middle School

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

36%

Grade 3

46%

Grade 4

48%

Grade 5

37%

Grade 6

37%

Grade 7

50%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

29%

Grade 3

36%

Grade 4

44%

Grade 5

41%

Grade 6

37%

Grade 7

41%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

45%

Grade 5

42%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

38%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$289,729

Year-over-year change+3.5%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$226K to $377K

vs. state typical0.87x

vs. national typical0.79x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
30701	Calhoun	$277K	+3.3%	37.3%
30734	Ranger	$321K	+4.8%	20.0%
30139	Fairmount	$308K	+2.3%	12.8%
30735	Industrial	$255K	+3.2%	11.6%
30103	Adairsville	$302K	+2.2%	7.2%
30746	Sugar Valley	$303K	+5.3%	5.3%
30733	Plainville	$226K	+3.4%	4.1%
30171		$377K	+4.2%	1.7%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,690/mo

Year-over-year change-0.6%

Range across 2 ZIP codes$1,653 to $1,883/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (2 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
30701	Calhoun	$1,653	-0.6%	37.3%
30103	Adairsville	$1,883	—	7.2%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,462/mo

Home price / national median income3.5x

Annual rent / national median income24.2%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$228/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.