Anderson Elementary School, Conley GA

Original Research by School Decision on Anderson Elementary School

Anderson Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in Conley, an unincorporated industrial community at Atlanta's southeast edge where trucking terminals, warehousing, and freight operations dominate the landscape. The school sits within Clayton County Public Schools, a district undergoing significant physical and instructional change through a voter-approved building program and a systemwide shift to Science-of-Reading literacy practices.

The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This demographic profile reflects both the community's composition and the economic pressures facing families in the area. The school serves a small enrollment for its grade span.

Academic performance at Anderson presents a challenge. State testing results for reading and math are notably low across third, fourth, and fifth grades. In reading, proficiency rates fall in the range of low-to-mid teens through the low-twenties range. Math shows somewhat better performance, with one grade in the mid-thirties range but others substantially lower. Science testing, available only for fifth grade, shows stronger proficiency. These results place Anderson in the top quartile on an overall proficiency index when measured against other schools in Clayton County, but the absolute proficiency numbers remain low. A parent should recognize that this school's students are struggling with core academic skills at grade level and may want to ask the school directly about intervention supports, reading programs tied to the district's Science-of-Reading push, and any summer or pull-out instruction available.

The housing market around Conley reflects the area's industrial character. Home values are substantially below state and national benchmarks, and rental housing is affordable relative to household income, making the area accessible for lower-income families. However, the community offers limited walkability, civic amenities, or traditional downtown life; residents drive to reach schools, shops, and services across county road corridors.

At the district level, Clayton County is investing heavily in school facilities. Voters approved a major capital bond to renovate or rebuild 36 aging schools, and a new college and career academy is opening nearby. The district has also committed to evidence-based reading instruction across all K-5 classrooms through a universal screener and tutoring platform, a pedagogical foundation that should reach Anderson's students. These are meaningful system-level moves, though their effect on individual school outcomes unfolds over time.

For a family considering Anderson, the key questions center on the school's role in the district's improvement efforts, what specific reading and math supports are in place now, and whether the school's current academic profile aligns with the family's capacity to supplement learning at home. The school is embedded in a community and district in motion, but current performance numbers signal that significant academic catch-up work lies ahead for most students.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 23% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 29% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 21% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 17% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 23% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 25% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 23% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grades 3-881%

School 81% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above 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.