The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 32% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Southwest Georgia S.t.e.m. Charter Academy
Southwest Georgia S.T.E.M. Charter Academy is a publicly-chartered school serving pre-K through twelfth grade in Shellman, a small rural city in southwest Georgia, with a statewide open-enrollment charter grant. The school occupies the former Randolph Southern School building and opened its doors as a K-8 school around 2016, expanding upward year by year until adding its first high school grade. The school's charter was renewed for a five-year term through 2030, locking in the K-12 grade range and capping total enrollment at a specific limit. For families in the area seeking a STEM-focused pathway that does not require moving between buildings as students advance, this school now offers continuity from early childhood through secondary completion.
The student body is small, about the size typical of a rural K-12 school serving a single town. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting both the school's rural location and the economic circumstances of Randolph County. The population is predominantly white, with meaningful shares of Black and multiracial students and a small Hispanic population. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status were not available.
State test results in early 2025 show mixed performance. In mathematics, the school's overall proficiency rate sits in the middle range statewide. Performance varies notably by grade: third and fifth graders show lower attainment, while sixth and seventh graders show much stronger results, and eighth graders post solid proficiency. English language arts presents a steeper challenge. Proficiency across all tested grades falls well below the state middle, with particularly low results in sixth grade. Science proficiency sits in the middle range overall, and eighth-grade social studies proficiency is notably low. The pattern suggests the school's STEM mission may be gaining traction in upper middle grades and mathematics, though reading and writing remain softer. A parent may want to look into whether the school offers targeted literacy support and how it plans to strengthen performance in language arts and humanities.
Relative to the other districts in Randolph County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, meaning it outperforms the county median and peer schools in the area. However, because this is a single school operating under a statewide charter, it sits apart from the traditional county school structure and draws students from across Georgia, not just Shellman and Randolph County.
The school was established as part of the broader small-town civic effort in Shellman, framed locally as a tool to retain families and attract workforce talent to a rural area facing slow population decline. Shellman itself is a historically anchored town centered on a walkable downtown with a historic district listed on the National Register, but the wider county is economically thin, with most major employment in nearby Albany and Dawson. Housing values in the Shellman zip code are well below state average, and the cost of living is low. The town has experienced a modest population decline since 2020. Families drawn to the school tend to come from rural southwest Georgia and may commute from distances to access the STEM-focused curriculum.
Graduation rate data were not provided, so readers cannot yet assess outcomes for the school's first cohort of high school completers. High school enrollment is small, which is typical for a new secondary program; readers may want to ask the school directly about planned growth and support for students completing the secondary sequence.
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