Flippen Elementary School, Mcdonough GA

Original Research by School Decision on Flippen Elementary School

Flippen Elementary serves a young student body spanning prekindergarten through fifth grade in McDonough, a fast-growing Atlanta exurb southeast of the city. The school sits within Henry County Schools, a districtwide system covering McDonough and surrounding communities that is actively expanding capacity and rethinking curriculum. McDonough itself is shaped by its I-75 proximity, a historic downtown square, and rapid new residential development, with families drawn by proximity to Atlanta and new suburban housing stock.

Flippen's enrollment runs small-to-medium for its grade band, with substantial economic need. A large share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The population is racially and ethnically diverse, with Black students forming the largest group, alongside meaningful shares of Hispanic, white, and Asian students. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available.

The school's academic performance on state end-of-grade assessments points to areas needing attention. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through five are low, with fourth grade showing particularly weak results. Mathematics proficiency is similarly modest, hovering in the low thirties across the tested grades. Science proficiency in fifth grade is slightly stronger but still below half. A parent looking at these numbers should recognize that the school is serving a population with significant academic challenges and may want to explore with the principal what interventions, support structures, and resources are in place to help students reach grade-level competency, as well as what the school's specific improvement targets are for the coming years.

The school operates within a district that is actively investing in its future. Voters approved E-SPLOST VI in 2021, funding expansion of existing schools and construction of three new facilities, including a STEM high school set to open in 2027. Henry County Schools is also implementing a districtwide K-12 cell phone ban beginning this school year and has added a community service graduation requirement for incoming high school students in 2024. These shifts reflect deliberate leadership action, though their direct effect on an elementary school like Flippen is indirect.

McDonough's housing market shows recent decline; home values have softened modestly over the past year, while rents have held relatively steady. The area remains affordable relative to national benchmarks, and mortgage costs are moderate for the Southeast. The city is adding substantial new housing through multiple builders and developments, creating a mix of older ranch homes near downtown and new subdivisions farther out. Employment is anchored by logistics, warehousing, distribution, and retail tied to I-75, plus government and schools. A downtown square with civic anchors including the courthouse and heritage park provides community identity, though schools themselves are generally on separate suburban campuses rather than downtown.

For families considering Flippen, the key takeaway is a school serving a population with demonstrated academic need in an economically diverse, rapidly growing community. The district's capital investments and curriculum initiatives suggest systemic attention to improvement, but a parent would want direct conversation with the school about how those efforts translate to classroom practice and student outcomes at the elementary level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 33% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 37% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 28% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 29% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 30% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 33% · ▲ 6 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-890%

School 90% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolHenry 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-income29%Higher-income25%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income48%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income48%8 pp gap

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

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income46%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income61%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income21%5 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income24%Higher-income41%17 pp gap