Newton County, GA - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Newton County

Newton County Schools serves a district spanning multiple towns in a suburban Georgia county south of Atlanta. The district enrolls students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 across roughly two dozen schools, from elementary buildings in communities like Covington, Mansfield, and Oxford to three comprehensive high schools and several middle schools distributed across the county.

Test results show academic performance below state benchmarks across elementary and middle grades. In math, proficiency in the lower elementary years (grades 3–5) sits in the low range, with a sharp drop by grade 6 before stabilizing in the middle grades. In English language arts, results are similarly modest, with grade 5 performing somewhat better than surrounding grades. Science proficiency in grade 5 is the strongest subject area the district reports, though grade 8 science shows steeper challenges. Social studies data is limited to grade 8, where proficiency is low. A parent reviewing these results should recognize that the district faces meaningful academic headwinds; the data suggests students are not meeting state standards at rates typical of higher-performing districts. The district's multi-year strategic plan, "Newton Forward," explicitly targets AI and digital-technical literacy as preparation for future careers, and the district has implemented a financial stabilization framework called LEAN to navigate enrollment decline and state funding shifts, signaling intentional but challenging conditions ahead.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of white, multiracial, Asian, and American Indian students. Free-and reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, so a parent cannot assess the share of economically disadvantaged students from this report. The district does not report special education or English learner enrollment counts, leaving those populations unmeasured here.

Housing in Newton County sits in the moderate range for the Atlanta metro area. Home values are modest relative to national benchmarks, and rental costs are similarly affordable. The median home value across the county's zip codes has declined slightly year-over-year, while rents have risen modestly. The mortgage-to-income ratio and rent-to-income ratio both suggest reasonable affordability for households with median incomes, though housing costs have climbed as a share of household budgets. Property tax digest values have surged since the pandemic, doubling in size; the board has rolled back the school millage rate in four of the last several years to hold down tax bills, though assessments have still driven increases for many homeowners. For a family relocating to the area, this suggests a county in transition, with both opportunity and tension around local tax capacity.

The district recently passed ESPLOST VI, a five-year extension of an education sales tax that took effect in January 2025. The roughly $132 million in funding supports enhanced school security, facility renovations, athletic complexes at all three high schools (completed and opened in May 2026), technology infrastructure, buses, and furniture and equipment. This capital investment touches every school a student would attend and reflects community support for modernized facilities and security measures.

Newton County's schools offer a range of grade configurations and program options across its portfolio. The district maintains traditional elementary, middle, and high school pathways as well as a theme school (Newton County Theme School at Ficquett) that suggests specialized academic or career-focused programming, though details on that program were not provided. Parent-driven choices about school fit within the county would turn on school-level data and individual school strengths, which lie outside this district overview.

A family considering Newton County should weigh the district's low state assessment results and ongoing enrollment and funding pressures against meaningful capital investment in facilities and security, a strategic pivot toward technology and AI literacy, and affordability in the regional housing market. The district is undergoing active change, both fiscal and instructional, which offers some opportunity but also reflects real academic challenges that would benefit from direct conversation with individual schools and principals.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

18,886

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 11%

Black 62%

White 21%

Asian 1%

Two+ 5%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

22 schools are officially reported under this district.

Eastside High School

Newton High School

Fairview Elementary

East Newton Elementary School

Cousins Middle School

Porterdale Elementary School

Heard-Mixon Elementary School

Mansfield Elementary School

Flint Hill Elementary

Livingston Elementary School

Middle Ridge Elementary School

West Newton Elementary School

Indian Creek Middle School

Veterans Memorial Middle School

Oak Hill Elementary School

Rocky Plains Elementary School

Alcovy High School

South Salem Elementary School

Clements Middle School

Live Oak Elementary

Newton County Theme School at Ficquett

Liberty Middle School

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

28%

Grade 3

26%

Grade 4

25%

Grade 5

18%

Grade 6

20%

Grade 7

26%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

22%

Grade 3

25%

Grade 4

30%

Grade 5

29%

Grade 6

28%

Grade 7

25%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

34%

Grade 5

16%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

19%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$316,715

Year-over-year change-0.6%

Range across 10 ZIP codes$281K to $394K

vs. state typical0.95x

vs. national typical0.86x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (10 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
30014	Covington	$306K	-0.9%	34.5%
30016	Covington	$288K	-2.3%	33.4%
30054	Oxford	$346K	+0.6%	12.8%
30055	Mansfield	$371K	+2.5%	9.7%
30025	Social Circle	$366K	+0.6%	6.4%
30056	Newborn	$360K	+4.0%	2.2%
30013	Conyers	$313K	-2.9%	0.5%
30052	Loganville	$394K	-2.3%	0.4%
30233	Jackson	$281K	-0.4%	0.1%
31064	Monticello	$307K	+5.6%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,872/mo

Year-over-year change+0.8%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$1,610 to $2,325/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
30014	Covington	$1,850	+0.9%	34.5%
30016	Covington	$1,880	+0.7%	33.4%
30025	Social Circle	$1,946	—	6.4%
30013	Conyers	$1,610	+1.8%	0.5%
30052	Loganville	$2,325	+1.6%	0.4%
30233	Jackson	$1,632	—	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,598/mo

Home price / national median income3.8x

Annual rent / national median income26.8%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$274/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.