Jackson County, GA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Jackson County

Jackson County Schools serves a mid-sized district enrollment spread across northern Georgia, from the fast-growing western communities near Braselton and Jefferson to smaller towns like Commerce and Nicholson. The district's student body is predominantly white, with meaningful shares of Hispanic and Asian students, and a smaller but present Black population. Economically, the district draws families from communities where housing values have held relatively stable and median incomes track close to state norms, making it a mixed middle-class setting rather than a uniformly affluent one.

Academic proficiency across the district sits noticeably below the midpoint among Jackson County's districts. State testing data from the current year shows math proficiency hovering in the low-to-mid range across elementary and middle grades, with performance dipping slightly at the sixth-grade transition. English language arts proficiency runs somewhat lower than math, with scores in the low-to-mid range through the tested grades. Science proficiency at the fifth and eighth grades sits around the low-to-mid range as well. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade is slightly above that. Across all tested subjects, the district's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among its county neighbors. No state graduation-rate data was provided, so a parent wanting to track high school completion would need to seek that directly from the district.

The district is managing substantial growth. Three new schools opened in recent years: a new Jackson County High School in Hoschton in 2021, Legacy Knoll Middle School in 2023, and a new elementary school in 2024. These moves were necessary; enrollment has expanded significantly, driven by residential development on the western side of the county. In March of 2025, voters approved a major bond package to build an integrated Pre-K through 12 campus near Hoschton with new elementary, middle, and high school facilities, plus a renewal of the local education sales tax. This signals a generation-long commitment to growth management and shapes which neighborhoods families will feed into. The district also converted its former Jefferson high school campus into the Empower College and Career Center, offering CTAE and dual-enrollment pathways to high school students from the two high schools.

Chronic absenteeism in the district runs substantially higher than the median among its county peers, at more than one in five students missing school chronically. This is a meaningful red flag that a parent may want to look into further with the school. Attendance patterns often reflect a mix of student factors, family circumstances, and school engagement, and understanding the drivers matters for families considering whether their child will thrive here.

On the property-tax side, the district lowered its operations and maintenance millage rate for the current fiscal year while keeping bond millage at its lowest level in several years, easing tax pressure even as capital construction ramps up. This may appeal to families weighing the cost of homeownership in the area.

The district operates eleven schools: four elementary schools plus two additional ones that opened recently, two traditional middle schools plus one new middle school, and two high schools. A parent navigating school choice within the district will encounter multiple options across its attendance zones, with the newest facilities on the growth corridor and older schools experiencing some relief from enrollment pressure as capacity expands.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

10,524

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 20%

Black 9%

White 63%

Asian 3%

Two+ 5%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

11 schools are officially reported under this district.

South Jackson Elementary School

North Jackson Elementary School

Maysville Elementary School

East Jackson Middle School

West Jackson Middle School

Jackson County High School

West Jackson Elementary School

East Jackson Elementary School

East Jackson Comprehensive High School

Gum Springs Elementary School

Legacy Knoll Middle School

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

54%

Grade 3

57%

Grade 4

53%

Grade 5

49%

Grade 6

56%

Grade 7

56%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

43%

Grade 3

47%

Grade 4

50%

Grade 5

47%

Grade 6

44%

Grade 7

42%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

50%

Grade 5

43%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

51%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$383,758

Year-over-year change+1.0%

Range across 16 ZIP codes$308K to $497K

vs. state typical1.15x

vs. national typical1.04x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (16 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
30549	Jefferson	$415K	-0.7%	27.6%
30558		$351K	+4.2%	10.5%
30565	Nicholson	$341K	+5.2%	9.7%
30567	Pendergrass	$366K	-0.3%	9.1%
30529	Commerce	$324K	+1.9%	8.4%
30548	Braselton	$488K	-1.9%	8.3%
30607	Athens	$329K	+1.7%	7.8%
30530	Commerce	$367K	+3.3%	6.6%
30517	Braselton	$446K	-1.1%	4.8%
30575	Gainesville	$361K	+1.2%	2.5%

Showing top 10 of 16 ZIP codes by land area weight

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,801/mo

Year-over-year change+3.2%

Range across 9 ZIP codes$1,487 to $2,429/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (9 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
30549	Jefferson	$1,678	+5.1%	27.6%
30567	Pendergrass	$1,952	—	9.1%
30529	Commerce	$1,487	-2.6%	8.4%
30548	Braselton	$2,045	-1.3%	8.3%
30607	Athens	$1,659	+7.6%	7.8%
30517	Braselton	$2,429	+3.6%	4.8%
30622	Bogart	$2,238	—	1.1%
30680	Winder	$2,077	+2.0%	1.0%
30601	Athens	$1,861	+3.6%	0.3%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,936/mo

Home price / national median income4.6x

Annual rent / national median income25.8%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$136/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.