The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Social studies. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Suder Elementary School
Suder Elementary School in Jonesboro serves prekindergarten through fifth grade and sits on Lake Jodeco Road in a part of Clayton County that is working through a significant shift in how young students learn to read and how school buildings themselves are aging. The school's enrollment is small, with a student body that is majority Black with large Hispanic and multiracial populations. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects both the economic profile of the surrounding neighborhood and the broader county demographic.
The school's most recent state testing results show proficiency rates well below the state median across the subjects tested. In math, proficiency ranges from the mid-teens in fifth grade to around one-third in fourth grade, with third grade near one-fifth. In English language arts, proficiency hovers around one-fifth in third and fifth grades and exactly one-fifth in fourth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade is around one-fifth. Across the three tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the five districts in Clayton County, though this positioning reflects the competitive landscape within the county rather than a strong absolute standing. For context, one other county district shows lower proficiency, but the majority perform near or above the county median. A parent may want to look into further with the school what specific supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient and what the progression looks like as students move through the grades.
Clayton County as a whole is undergoing a substantial instructional shift. The district has adopted Science-of-Reading-based literacy practices districtwide, with every elementary classroom now using the Amira universal reading screener and tutor as part of the initiative called "CCPS...Where Literacy Lives." This reflects a commitment to evidence-based early literacy instruction grounded in recent research. At the same time, the county is pursuing a major capital rebuilding program. Voters approved a multimillion-dollar ESPLOST in 2023 that will fund renovation or replacement of 36 schools across the district over several years. Whether Suder is among those targeted for major renovation or replacement was not specified in available data, so a parent may want to check with the school or district about what facility improvements are planned.
Jonesboro itself is a small Clayton County seat with an older downtown core of historic storefronts, galleries, and the courthouse, alongside more typical suburban retail corridors along U.S. 41 and Tara Boulevard. The city is pursuing downtown growth through mixed-use development, including a newly approved 77-townhome project near North Main Street. The housing market in the area is comparatively affordable, with modest home values and monthly rents below the national average. Major employers in the region include the school district itself, supply-chain and logistics firms, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, and Southern Regional Health System. Daily life outside the historic downtown is car-oriented, though MARTA and Xpress GA bus service run along main corridors. Lee Street Park, a downtown civic anchor with an amphitheater, farmers market, and playground, is the main gathering space.
For families considering Suder, the key context is that the school sits within a district in transition: new literacy frameworks are rolling out, significant facility modernization is underway, and the broader neighborhood reflects a working-class, majority-minority character with high rates of economic need. The current proficiency numbers point to academic challenges that a parent will want to understand in concrete terms, including what interventions exist for students below grade level and what the school's trajectory has been.
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