The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Social studies. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Nolan Elementary School
Nolan Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in College Park, a mixed-character city on Atlanta's southern edge that blends a historic residential core with major commercial and institutional uses tied to the airport, convention center, and Gateway Center Arena. The school sits in Fulton County Schools, a large urban district covering the greater Atlanta area.
The school enrolls a small to mid-sized population of students, with representation across the early elementary and upper elementary grades. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. Every student enrolled qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a student population with substantial economic need. Specific counts for special education and English learner populations were not available.
On state testing in 2024-25, Nolan's proficiency rates across reading, math, and science sit well below typical benchmarks. In math, roughly less than one-third of third graders, fewer than half of fourth graders, and roughly one-fifth of fifth graders met proficiency standards. In English language arts, roughly one-sixth of third graders, fewer than one-quarter of fourth graders, and roughly one-quarter of fifth graders demonstrated proficiency. Fifth-grade science proficiency was just above one-fifth. The pattern shows particularly weak performance in reading in third grade and a general decline in math proficiency as students move from third to fifth grade. When proficiency rates are averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Nolan sits slightly above the midpoint for elementary schools across Fulton County, though in absolute terms the performance remains low.
These results reflect a genuine academic challenge that warrants attention. A parent considering this school may want to look into further how the school is addressing these gaps and what intervention or support structures are in place for students not yet proficient. Fulton County Schools has launched a district-wide literacy initiative called Every Child Reads, funded by federal pandemic relief and centered on Science of Reading approaches. The district replaced roughly 15 to 20 different school-level reading programs with a unified approach, deployed LETRS training across elementary teachers, and assigned a literacy coach to every elementary school. Georgia Milestones results have shown reading gains across the district, with Fulton County leading the state in Literacy Leader-recognized schools. How this initiative is taking root at Nolan specifically is worth asking about during a school visit or conversation with staff.
College Park itself is actively growing. The city has reacquired land adjacent to downtown that had been bought under FAA noise programs and is redeveloping it as "Airport City," part of a larger "Aerotropolis" plan. Mixed-use development with apartments and street-level retail is underway. The historic Main Street downtown anchors the city with locally owned restaurants, specialty shops, and walkable streetscapes, though the larger city is bisected by interstates and airport infrastructure. Housing costs in the 30349 zip code are moderate relative to national averages, with both home values and rents showing slight fluctuations but generally stable affordability metrics compared to broader state and national benchmarks. Fulton County Schools has kept its school millage rate steady over multiple years, though rising home values have produced effective tax increases for homeowners. The district recently opted out of a new state property tax exemption to maintain its existing local homestead exemption, which caps annual tax-bill increases at a specified portion or CPI.
Nolan is a neighborhood elementary school serving a community with high economic need and low current academic proficiency. Its position within the district's literacy initiative may signal an avenue for improvement, but a parent weighing enrollment should understand the starting point and ask what specific interventions the school is using to move students toward grade-level reading and math skills.
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