Howard B. Stroud Elementary School, Athens GA

Original Research by School Decision on Howard B. Stroud Elementary School

Howard B. Stroud Elementary School is a small public elementary school in downtown Athens serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school draws its enrollment almost entirely from economically disadvantaged families: all students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with substantial Hispanic enrollment and very small numbers of white students and students from other racial and ethnic groups.

The school's latest state test results, from the 2024-25 school year, show proficiency rates that are quite low across tested subjects. In mathematics, fewer than one in five third-graders met state proficiency standards; the rate dropped to about one in eight fourth-graders and fell further in fifth grade. English language arts proficiency was even lower, with single-digit pass rates in fifth grade. Fifth-grade science proficiency was also in the single digits. These results reflect a school where the vast majority of students are not meeting grade-level academic benchmarks in core subjects.

No trend data is available to show whether these proficiency rates represent a change from prior years or a stable pattern. Only one year of data was reported in the state's system, so it is not possible to say whether the school is improving, declining, or holding steady.

Stroud has access to the Clarke County School District's new science-of-reading curriculum, which rolled out in August 2023 with explicit phonics and phonemic awareness instruction for K-3 students. The district also approved capital funding through an education sales tax to support major renovations at several elementary schools, including Cleveland Road Elementary; it is worth asking the school directly whether Stroud is among the schools slated for facility improvements and on what timeline.

The school's location on Fourth Street in downtown Athens places it within walking distance of the university and the downtown core, in a neighborhood with dense student housing and a mix of institutional properties. The housing market in this zip code is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks. A parent may want to look into further with the school what Title I supports are available, what the English learner and special education enrollment rates are, and what specific academic interventions or additional support systems are in place for students not meeting proficiency benchmarks. The school's district opted out of Georgia's homestead exemption in February 2025, meaning property taxes in this district may rise faster than in other Georgia districts, a relevant consideration for families buying homes in the area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 38% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 38% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 31% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 27% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 28% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 28% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 29% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Social studies

Grades 3-855%

School 55% · district not reported

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

This schoolClarke 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.