Northcutt Elementary School, College Park GA

Original Research by School Decision on Northcutt Elementary School

Northcutt Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in College Park, a mixed-character city on Atlanta's southern edge that combines a historic residential core with major airport infrastructure and convention facilities. The school sits in Clayton County and serves a student body that is almost entirely eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, with a substantial majority identifying as Black, alongside meaningful populations of Hispanic and multiracial students.

The school's academic performance, measured by state end-of-grade assessments, is well below proficiency benchmarks across tested subjects and grade levels. In math, students in third grade reached proficiency at roughly half or less the level of fourth and fifth graders; fourth grade showed the strongest performance but still fell short of the county median. English language arts proficiency was similarly low across grades three through five, with third grade again showing the steepest challenge. Fifth-grade science proficiency was likewise modest. Across all tested subjects and grades, Northcutt's overall proficiency index placed it above the mid-point among Clayton County's districts, a position that reflects the county's broader academic landscape rather than high absolute performance. Parents evaluating Northcutt should understand that the majority of students are not meeting grade-level standards in core subjects, and may want to discuss with the school what targeted support exists for struggling readers and mathematicians, and whether the Science-of-Reading initiatives the district announced districtwide have translated into classroom practice and measurable gains here.

The school's enrollment is stable at around 600 students across seven grade bands. The building operates within the district's broader context of significant capital investment and pedagogical change. Clayton County voters approved a major education bond in 2023 to renovate or replace aging schools, and the district has launched a districtwide shift to Science-of-Reading-based literacy instruction, including universal reading screening and tutoring tools in every K-5 classroom. The opening of a new college and career academy venue in the county may eventually expand pathway options for students who advance through the district.

College Park itself is undergoing active redevelopment, with airport-adjacent growth, historic downtown revitalization, and new mixed-use housing. The city's housing market reflects this activity. The broader economic context includes strong regional employment centered on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, logistics, hospitality, and corporate offices. For families considering Northcutt, the school's location offers access to the Phoenix Trail, Main Street's walkable dining and retail corridor, and MARTA transit connections to Atlanta, alongside the typical challenges of an airport-adjacent city and a school serving a high-poverty population with below-average proficiency results. The school's fit depends on whether families are looking for intensive support structures and how they weight proximity, neighborhood context, and current academic standing.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 23% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 29% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 21% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 17% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 23% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 25% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 23% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-863%

School 63% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolClayton 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.