The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Social studies. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dearing Elementary School
Dearing Elementary School serves grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a small, rural town in McDuffie County, Georgia. The school sits on Main Street within Dearing itself, a town of modest size about eight miles southeast of Thomson, the county seat, and roughly 24 miles west of Augusta. The surrounding area has an agricultural character, with dairy farming and other rural enterprise anchoring the local economy, though most employment opportunities are regional.
The school's student body reflects the town and surrounding area. About four-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic need. The enrollment skews toward white students, with notable shares of Black students and Hispanic students. The school serves roughly 400 students across seven grades, with relatively balanced class sizes from pre-K through fifth grade.
State test results from 2024-25 show mixed performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates ranged from roughly 39 percent in third and fourth grades to about 56 percent in fifth grade, with an overall proficiency rate in the upper 40s percent. Math proficiency was slightly lower: around 31 percent in third grade, rising to 47 percent in fourth and just above 50 percent in fifth. In science, where only fifth graders were tested, proficiency was about 34 percent. These numbers reflect academic challenges the school is working to address. The school adopted the i-Ready computer-adaptive assessment as part of K-5 promotion criteria districtwide, alongside mandatory universal reading screening and dyslexia screening three times annually for all kindergarten through third graders under Georgia's Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act. These are meaningful levers aimed at early intervention.
The district itself has signaled real investment in the school. As part of ESPLOST VII, a one-cent education sales tax approved by voters in 2021, Dearing Elementary received two new classrooms alongside broader facilities expansion districtwide. A new combined elementary school, J.A. Maxwell, opened for the 2025-26 school year. At the same time, the McDuffie County Board of Education has adopted rollback property tax rates for five consecutive years, lowering the school-system millage rate since 2020. For families considering the area, that means property tax relief on the school portion of their bill even as the district invests in new buildings and programs.
The housing market in Dearing's ZIP code is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Median home values are well below the state and national average, and the cost-of-living index is notably low. Homes in the area are generally owner-occupied, and the town has a stable population.
A parent considering Dearing Elementary should understand that this is a school with real academic headroom to close, particularly in math and science. The proficiency rates, especially in the third and fourth grades, indicate that the school is serving a population with substantial learning needs and limited prior academic advantage. At the same time, the visible district support, the rollback property tax environment, the new facilities, and the early literacy initiatives show a system actively trying to strengthen teaching and learning. This is a school for a family willing to be part of a community where the school is still building its academic foundation and where parent engagement and home support matter measurably. It is not a destination for families seeking a high-performing, affluent school environment.
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