Church Street Elementary School, Riverdale GA

Original Research by School Decision on Church Street Elementary School

Church Street Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Riverdale, a dense suburban community about 10 miles south of downtown Atlanta. The school enrolls a small-to-moderate population, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students. Very few white students attend.

The school's academic performance, based on the most recent state testing data available, shows considerable struggle across tested subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency rates range from low single digits in third grade to just over one-fifth by fifth grade. English language arts shows a similar pattern, with third-grade proficiency in the single digits and fifth-grade proficiency around one-quarter. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits at roughly one-fifth. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Clayton County. The testing data reflects a single year, so trend information is not available. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what instructional supports and interventions are in place, especially in the lower elementary grades where proficiency is lowest.

Riverdale itself is a car-dependent suburb built around commercial corridors like Highway 85, with ranch and split-level homes from the 1960s-80s on generous lots. Housing values are moderate for the Atlanta area, and the community is described as family-oriented and diverse. The City of Riverdale is implementing a comprehensive growth plan through 2033, and new residential development is active. Transit infrastructure is expanding: Clayton County voters approved dedicated funding for MARTA bus service, with routes now serving Riverdale, and a planned bus rapid transit line to the airport is in design.

Clayton County Public Schools, the sixth-largest system in Georgia, is undergoing significant facility renewal. Voters approved a major education sales tax in 2023 to renovate or rebuild 36 aging schools across the district, a multi-year capital project that will directly shape the physical learning environment. The district has also adopted Science-of-Reading-based literacy instruction districtwide, with universal screening and tutoring tools rolled out across all K-5 classrooms. A new Clayton County Convocation Center and College and Career Academy opened at a former mall site in 2025, expanding career-pathway options for high schoolers. These are systemwide initiatives that create both ongoing instructional change and the prospect of improved or new facilities, though specific timelines for Church Street Elementary's own renovation or replacement status are not available in the data provided.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 37%

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

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 29% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 21% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 17% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 23% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 25% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 23% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grades 3-864%

School 64% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 10 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.