Mason Creek Elementary School, Winston GA

Original Research by School Decision on Mason Creek Elementary School

Mason Creek Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Winston, an unincorporated, wooded suburb about 26 miles west of Atlanta within Douglas County. The school enrolls a student body of moderate size, with roughly three-quarters of enrolled students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. The student population is racially and ethnically mixed, with roughly equal numbers of Black and white students, along with smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students.

State testing data from the 2024-25 school year shows mixed academic performance. In English language arts, third-grade students scored below midpoint proficiency, while fourth and fifth graders performed at slightly below and slightly above midpoint, respectively. Mathematics results show more consistent progress: third grade again started below midpoint, but fourth and fifth grades reached approximately midpoint proficiency. Science proficiency in fifth grade was notably higher than the district's other tested subjects. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Douglas County's three districts, a meaningful distinction that reflects stronger performance relative to its immediate peer set.

The school sits within a residential corridor that lacks a functioning town center; Winston was disincorporated and now operates as an unincorporated community. Everyday retail, groceries, and dining are concentrated several miles away in Douglasville, and public transit is limited, so families rely on personal vehicles. Housing values in the Winston area are moderate relative to the Atlanta region, and the area is experiencing active single-family subdivision development, indicating growth-oriented demographics. Winston Park, adjacent to the school, offers youth baseball fields and tennis courts, and Clinton Nature Preserve with walking trails and an accessible playground sits a short distance away. The broader economic context includes Douglas County's growth in data-center investment, hospital and industrial employment, and commuter access to Atlanta employers via Interstate 20.

Douglas County as a whole has continued capital investment in school facilities through a voter-approved education sales tax (ESPLOST VII), with a major high school replacement currently under way. Property tax rates have been reduced repeatedly over the past decade, though rising home assessments have still resulted in modest tax increases for homeowners in recent years. These conditions reflect a district managing sustained growth and suburban demand.

A parent considering Mason Creek should understand that the school serves a student population with considerable economic need, that third-grade performance in both core subjects sits below state midpoint, and that fourth and fifth grades show stronger results. The relative strength among county peers is a useful frame, though performance still reflects broader challenges in early elementary literacy and numeracy that merit direct conversation with school staff about intervention approaches and instructional design. The school's location in an actively developing suburban area with limited walkability means the family experience centers on the school campus and vehicle-dependent access to community amenities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 35% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 41% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 36% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 40% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 41% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-893%

School 93% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolDouglas 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income26%Higher-income50%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income38%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income32%1 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income30%Higher-income41%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income40%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income45%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income27%0 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income34%Higher-income38%4 pp gap