Lavonia Elementary School, Lavonia GA

Original Research by School Decision on Lavonia Elementary School

Lavonia Elementary School serves about kindergarten through fifth grade in rural Franklin County, in a small city that sits on the Georgia–South Carolina border at Interstate 85. The school sits on Hartwell Road on its own campus, separate from Lavonia's historic downtown but close to residential neighborhoods and a nearby hospital complex. The immediate area includes rural land, small subdivisions, and lake-adjacent property near Lake Hartwell.

The school's student body is majority white with substantial Black and Hispanic enrollment, and a large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is moderate in size for its grade band.

State testing results in English language arts and math show proficiency rates well below the midpoint of what would be typical statewide. In the most recent testing year, students across tested grades in English language arts reached proficiency at a rate below one-third. Math proficiency was somewhat better but still in the low range across third, fourth, and fifth grades. Science proficiency in fifth grade was higher than both core subjects. Testing data from before the current assessment was used is not available to show whether performance has moved over time, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about trends and any recent changes to instruction or support. The school serves younger elementary grades where testing is limited, so these results cover only the upper elementary span.

Lavonia itself is in the early growth phase of a real estate and industrial expansion. New apartment complexes and townhome subdivisions have opened in the past two to three years, and major employers in manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics are expanding or relocating to the area. Housing prices are rising, and the local market is a seller's market. Families moving to or already in Lavonia will find a small, walkable downtown with a historic district, a Carnegie library, parks, and active civic events, alongside newer commercial activity clustered at the interstate interchange. The city is about a mile walk or a short drive from the elementary school.

Franklin County schools have recently undergone a significant reorganization. A new elementary school called South Franklin Elementary opened in Carnesville in early 2025, replacing a facility in Royston, and the district redrew its elementary attendance boundaries for the 2025–2026 school year. This means Lavonia Elementary's enrollment patterns or the students it serves may shift as families settle into the new boundaries. Voters in the county have approved ongoing sales tax funding for school capital projects, including athletic and agriculture facility upgrades at the high school, which supports long-term stability in building and safety investments without raising property taxes.

The main numbers parents should examine are the proficiency rates in the data sections, which show the specific performance level in each grade and subject. Given the gap between these results and broader proficiency rates, a parent would benefit from talking directly with school leadership about what instructional supports, interventions, or resources the school is using to help students reach proficiency, and what progress, if any, has occurred since the current assessment structure was adopted.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 40% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 44% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 41% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 32% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 35% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 47% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Social studies

Grades 3-881%

School 81% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median

This schoolFranklin 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-income18%Higher-income60%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income50%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income75%36 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income31%Higher-income65%33 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income67%43 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income92%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income67%38 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income37%Higher-income73%35 pp gap