Kingston Elementary School, Kingston GA

Original Research by School Decision on Kingston Elementary School

Kingston Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in a small rural setting within the Bartow County School District. The school enrolls a diverse student body, with a strong majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch—a substantial share indicating significant economic need. The racial and ethnic composition includes white, Hispanic, and Black students in roughly comparable proportions, alongside smaller numbers of multiracial, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students.

Academic performance across recent state testing shows proficiency rates that fall below midpoint for the county when compared to the district's other schools. In English language arts, overall proficiency is low across grades three through five, with fifth grade performing somewhat better than the earlier grades. Mathematics shows a similar pattern, with third and fourth grade proficiency well below fifth grade. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, is the weakest area. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in Bartow County.

The weak proficiency results warrant serious attention. A parent considering enrollment should speak directly with school leadership about what supports are in place for struggling readers and mathematicians, whether the school has assessment data from earlier in the year to show whether outcomes are improving, and what interventions or tutoring the school offers. These numbers reflect real challenges in foundational skills that shape a child's entire academic trajectory, and parents deserve concrete answers about the school's plan to move the needle.

Kingston sits in a historic small village that is experiencing modest new residential growth, particularly through new subdivisions that have drawn young families and first-time homebuyers in recent years. The town is car-dependent with civic anchors concentrated in the historic core—parks, museums, churches, and memorials—but schools are located on separate campuses outside the downtown. Housing costs in the zip code are below the state benchmark and below the national median, making the area relatively affordable for first-time buyers, though it remains a rural, commuter-dependent area.

The Bartow County School District has signaled a significant property tax consideration: in January 2025, the board announced its intent to opt out of Georgia's statewide adjusted base year homestead exemption, meaning homeowners in the district do not receive the state's inflation-capped annual assessment growth benefit that was approved by referendum. School taxes are the largest portion of property tax bills in the county, so this choice directly affects the long-term cost of homeownership for families. Families weighing a move to the area should factor this into their financial planning. The district has, however, expanded senior homestead exemptions for residents age 65 and older, and widened eligibility for disabled-resident exemptions as of late 2024.

Kingston Elementary is one option within a small district serving a rural area with real economic need and emerging residential growth, but its current academic results point to substantive learning gaps that families should investigate thoroughly before deciding it is the right fit.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 45% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 49% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 48% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 31% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 38% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 43% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 39% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Social studies

Grades 3-884%

School 84% · district not reported

even with state median · even with county median

This schoolBartow County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income29%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income61%23 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income28%Higher-income49%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income50%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income50%20 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income31%Higher-income56%26 pp gap