The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in Social studies. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ben Hill Elementary School
Ben Hill Elementary School serves grades three through five in Fitzgerald, a small rural county seat in south Georgia anchored by manufacturing and agricultural processing. The school sits in the county seat of Ben Hill County, where Fitzgerald's economy centers on wood products, food and beverage processing, and metal manufacturing alongside its historic agricultural roots. The school building occupies a central location on Lobinger Avenue in a city designed with walkable downtown quarters and now pursuing industrial recruitment and workforce housing development.
The school enrolls a modest population of students across its three grades, with roughly equal numbers in each grade band. Student composition is evenly split between Black and white students, with a smaller Hispanic population and a small number of students identifying as multiracial. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic characteristics of the families the school serves.
On state end-of-grade assessments in 2024-25, Ben Hill Elementary's results show proficiency rates that run below the midpoint statewide. In English language arts across grades three, four, and five, proficiency rates cluster in the low-to-mid range. Mathematics proficiency rates are somewhat higher than in reading, with grade four showing the highest math performance of the school's tested grades. Science proficiency, tested only in grade five, sits considerably lower than either reading or mathematics. The spread across grades suggests that proficiency rates decline as students move from third to fifth grade, particularly in science. This pattern is worth watching as it may reflect cumulative instructional needs or changes in assessment difficulty at higher grades.
The school's testing data spans only one year, so no trend information is available. A parent may want to look into the school's current instructional priorities in reading and mathematics with staff directly, particularly given the district's recent emphasis on the science of reading and stronger K-5 math instruction announced at the district level.
Ben Hill County School District has undertaken significant recent investments relevant to the school's context. The district renovated and expanded the pre-K building with an explicit pedagogical turn toward the science of reading and stronger mathematics instruction in the early grades. Beginning in 2025-26, all K-12 students receive digital citizenship lessons through a district-wide Parent ProTech partnership that gives families free access to parental-control resources. The district also opened a new Fitzgerald High School College and Career Academy in 2022, a generational upgrade to the county's high school serving grades nine through twelve. For families considering the area, housing has become a significant growth point; home values have roughly tripled since before the pandemic, and the city is actively addressing workforce housing gaps through new multifamily communities.
Housing in the Fitzgerald zip code is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. The median home value runs below the state average, and mortgage estimates at current interest rates suggest modest monthly payments for a down payment and loan of typical size.
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