Ballard Hudson Middle School, Macon GA

Original Research by School Decision on Ballard Hudson Middle School

Ballard Hudson Middle School serves the grades six through eight cohort in Macon as a regular public school in Bibb County. The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the Macon area. The school enrollment sits at a moderate size across its three grades.

The academic picture requires direct attention. State testing results from the most recent school year show proficiency rates in single digits for grades six and seven in mathematics and English language arts, ranging from around three to four percent in some cases. Grade eight shows somewhat higher performance, with math proficiency around fifteen percent and ELA proficiency around seventeen percent. Science proficiency in grade eight sits at around fourteen percent, and social studies at a similar level. These results place Ballard Hudson in the bottom quartile among districts in Bibb County on overall proficiency. A parent should look into further detail with the school about the support and instructional approaches being used to address these reading and math foundations, as they form the bedrock for middle grade academic progression.

The district itself is navigating substantial structural pressures. Bibb County voters approved a capital improvement sales tax in November 2025 that will fund school facility upgrades including HVAC replacement, technology, and renovations across multiple schools. However, the district has pursued two property tax increases over consecutive years to address operating expenses, and earlier considered school closures before settling on a rezoning process set to take effect for the 2026-2027 school year. These changes will directly affect which families live in which attendance zones.

On the instructional side, the district has committed to a 2023-2028 strategic plan centered on structured literacy, science of reading training for elementary teachers, and social-emotional learning frameworks. These initiatives aim to build foundational skills systematically across the grade bands.

Macon itself is a mid-sized Central Georgia city in the midst of downtown revitalization, with a historic core along the Ocmulgee River and long-established residential neighborhoods radiating outward. Major employers include healthcare systems, Mercer University, and GEICO, and civic anchors include riverfront parks, a vibrant downtown music and restaurant scene, and the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. Housing values in the area are moderately priced relative to state and national benchmarks, and rental rates reflect a comparable affordability profile. The area is experiencing new downtown residential construction and a downtown revitalization movement that has drawn new residents to the city.

For a family considering Ballard Hudson, the immediate question is whether the school's current academic performance trajectory aligns with your child's needs and your expectations for foundational skill development in reading and mathematics during these critical middle grades years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 15% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median

Grade 74%

School 4% · District 14% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 23% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 24% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 78%

School 8% · District 21% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 23% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 12% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 14% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolBibb 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.