The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hurricane Transition Academy
Hurricane Transition Academy is a small public school serving grades five through twelve in Fitzgerald, Georgia, a rural county seat in South Georgia with a mixed economy of agriculture, manufacturing, and small professional services. The school's enrollment is small, with the bulk of students in high school grades; it sits within Ben Hill County Schools, a district that recently invested in a new high school college and career academy facility and has made deliberate shifts toward reading science and K-5 math instruction.
The school's most immediate characteristic is its enrollment and size. The student body numbers in the low hundreds, with most students concentrated in grades nine through twelve. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is racially mixed, with Black students representing the largest group, followed by white students, and smaller numbers of Hispanic and multiracial students.
State testing data for this school shows no students achieved proficiency in mathematics, English language arts, science, or social studies in the 2023-24 school year. The school did report tested counts and proficiency data to the state, and the proficiency criteria used match the regular Georgia Milestones assessment, so this represents students actually assessed. The school reported zero proficient students across all tested subjects. A parent may want to look into this directly with the school to understand what instructional context or student population this reflects, whether transition services drive the pattern, and what support exists for students working toward proficiency.
The school's name and grade band suggest it may serve students in transition, such as those re-entering after dropout, returning from alternative placement, or working through credit recovery. The data does not clarify the school's specific purpose or admission criteria, so a family would benefit from asking the school directly about its role within the district and what pathway students take from there.
Ben Hill County itself is pursuing deliberate growth. The district opened a new Fitzgerald High School College and Career Academy in 2022, a major facility built to house grades nine through twelve and to integrate college and career pathways. The district has also made explicit pedagogical commitments to the science of reading in early grades and stronger K-5 mathematics. Beginning in 2025-2026, all K-12 students receive digital citizenship lessons through a Parent ProTech partnership with parental access to resources. The district adopted a new attendance protocol tied to recent Georgia legislation that eliminates expulsion solely for absenteeism and establishes attendance review teams when chronic absenteeism reaches certain thresholds.
Fitzgerald itself is a small historic city with walkable downtown anchored by the restored Grand Theatre, public library, and courthouse, surrounded by neighborhoods where car dependency is the norm outside the core. Housing values have risen sharply in recent years, and the city is working to add workforce housing and address blighted properties. Major employers include manufacturing, healthcare, and food processing; two industrial firms have rehabilitated multifamily housing for workers. The local Wiregrass Georgia Technical College operates a Ben Hill-Irwin campus serving the county.
State testing data was not available for the district as a whole to establish how Hurricane Transition Academy's results sit relative to other Ben Hill County schools, and a graduation rate was not provided for this school. Because the school's purpose and student population characteristics may differ markedly from traditional high schools, families should reach out to the school and district to understand the instructional model, what the zero-proficiency data reflects, and what transition or support pathways exist for students.
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