Snelson-golden Middle School, Hinesville GA

Original Research by School Decision on Snelson-golden Middle School

Snelson-Golden Middle School serves grades six through eight in Hinesville, a military town anchored by Fort Stewart. The school enrolls a mid-sized cohort with a highly diverse student body: the largest share of students identify as Black, with substantial populations of Hispanic and multiracial students and smaller shares of Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and white students. A very large majority of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic composition of military families and civilians in the surrounding community.

Academic proficiency across Snelson-Golden is low across all tested areas. In math, students achieved proficiency at roughly similar rates across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, with the eighth-grade rate slightly lower. English language arts proficiency was comparable to math, with seventh and eighth graders posting marginally higher proficiency than sixth graders. Science proficiency in eighth grade stood well below both math and ELA. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade was also low. Because only eighth-grade science and social studies are tested under Georgia's state assessment system, proficiency data for those subjects reflects only the oldest grade band at this school.

The school serves a military-connected community in a region experiencing substantial population growth. Hinesville itself is one of the fastest-growing cities in Southeast Georgia, with housing expansion and new residential development accelerating around Fort Stewart. Median home values in the zip code are below the state benchmark, and rents have risen modestly. The majority of housing units are detached single-family homes, characteristic of a military suburb. Fort Stewart as the dominant regional employer draws active-duty families with young children and civilian contractors, giving the student body a high degree of residential mobility and a large share of economically vulnerable households.

The Liberty County School District, which operates Snelson-Golden alongside two other middle schools and a broader K-12 system, has made several recent budget decisions relevant to families. The district has cut its property tax millage rate in recent years while the tax base has grown, lowering the school tax burden for incoming homeowners. In 2025, voters renewed a one-cent sales tax on school purchases, dedicated to facility upgrades, buses, digital resources, and planning for a new school building. This funding mechanism spreads costs across all shoppers rather than property owners alone.

A parent evaluating Snelson-Golden should recognize that academic proficiency here lags substantially behind state performance benchmarks across all tested subjects. The school serves a population with deep economic constraints and likely high rates of family transition common in military communities. School choice and academic support resources would be worth exploring directly with the school, as would the specific supports available for students working below grade level in core subjects. The housing market around Hinesville remains relatively affordable compared to state averages, and the area's steady growth suggests an expanding school system, though a parent may want to look into current class sizes and staffing levels with the district directly.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 26% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 32% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 30% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Science

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 24% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median

This schoolLiberty 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 6Lower-income21%Higher-income35%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income44%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income62%31 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income25%Higher-income46%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income26%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income16%Higher-income34%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income41%15 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income17%Higher-income33%16 pp gap