North Jackson Elementary School, Talmo GA

Original Research by School Decision on North Jackson Elementary School

North Jackson Elementary School is a small public elementary school on the outskirts of Talmo, a rural town in northwestern Jackson County, Georgia, about an hour northeast of Atlanta. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and sits outside the town center, drawing families from a wide rural catchment across the county's fast-growing western zones.

The school enrolls students across a modest span of family income levels, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with a roughly balanced mix of white, Hispanic, Black, and mixed-race enrollment, plus a small Asian population. The school's grade-level enrollments are fairly steady across K-5, reflecting a stable elementary-age population in the service area.

Academic performance at North Jackson reads as below the midpoint for its county peer set. In the most recent state testing, school-wide proficiency in English language arts stands below the county median, and math proficiency sits near the county midpoint. Performance in reading is notably the softest area, with third-grade proficiency particularly low; reading and writing proficiency rise meaningfully as students progress to fourth and fifth grades. Math shows a similar upward trend by grade, with fifth-grade performance notably stronger than third-grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade is solid. The school has only one prior state assessment point available, from a decade ago, so trend data is very limited and a parent may want to ask the school directly whether recent performance reflects a change in student demographics, staffing, curriculum focus, or other factors.

Talmo itself is a tiny owner-occupied residential town with a historic village center but no major employment base; most working residents commute out to jobs along the I-85 corridor in Commerce, Pendergrass, and Jefferson, or farther to Gainesville and Atlanta. The town is car-dependent with no public transit and no practical alternative to driving. Growth has been modest but steady, with median home values reflecting gradual appreciation as the Atlanta sprawl reaches into Jackson County. The county as a whole is booming, with major industrial and warehouse expansion along the I-85 corridor, a new Jackson County High School and middle school opened in recent years to absorb enrollment growth, and a three-school campus (elementary through high school) approved by voters in 2025 to be built near Hoschton on the county's fast-growing west side. School millage rates have eased in recent budget years, lowering property-tax pressure from the education side for families considering a home purchase.

North Jackson Elementary is a straightforward neighborhood school serving a county-system rural zone. It is neither a magnet nor a choice school, and limited program information was available. Academic outcomes are below the county average and warrant direct conversation with the school about instructional priorities and recent trends. For families already living in this part of Jackson County or considering a move to the Talmo area, it is the assigned elementary school and reflects the county's current growth, diverse enrollment, and resource constraints as the system builds new capacity in higher-growth zones.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 54% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 57% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 53% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 50% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 50% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

Social studies

Grades 3-889%

School 89% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median

This schoolJackson 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-income32%Higher-income43%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income56%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income34%Higher-income44%10 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income33%Higher-income48%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income50%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income66%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income53%11 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income37%Higher-income56%19 pp gap