The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lena Mae Moses Middle School
Lena Mae Moses Middle School is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Dallas, the county seat of Paulding County, a northwestern exurb of Atlanta. The school enrolls a diverse, moderate-sized student population and sits within the Paulding County School District, which has been one of the fastest-growing systems in the region over the past two decades.
The school's student body reflects the demographic diversity of Dallas and Paulding County. White and Black students make up the two largest groups, each representing roughly equal shares of enrollment, with Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students representing smaller portions. Just over half of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a mix of working-class and middle-income families in the school's catchment area. The school does not report data on English learners or students with individualized education plans, though such data may be available directly from the school or district.
Academic performance across the school shows pockets of relative strength alongside areas of concern. In English language arts, performance is mixed across the grade levels. Sixth-grade proficiency stands at a level that suggests roughly half of students are meeting the state standard, while proficiency drops in seventh and eighth grades. Mathematics proficiency is lower across all grades, with sixth-graders showing the weakest performance and eighth-graders performing better, though still below what typical high-performing schools achieve. Science proficiency in eighth grade is notably weak, substantially below language arts and mathematics results at that level. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade sits at a moderate level, roughly on par with the school's overall math performance. Only a single year of state assessment data is available, so trend analysis and comparison to prior years is not possible from the data provided; a parent may want to ask the school about longer-term performance trends and any academic initiatives underway to strengthen results.
The housing market around Dallas reflects the area's growth trajectory. Home values in the Dallas zip code are moderate relative to metro Atlanta as a whole and affordable when compared to national benchmarks. Monthly rental costs are modest, and the rent-to-income ratio is reasonable for a moderate-income household. The area is car-dependent despite a historic downtown square and the Silver Comet Trail, a paved rail-trail that serves as a recreational spine. New residential construction is heavy, with major builders active in multiple new subdivisions, and the City has established a tax allocation district covering downtown and the Memorial Drive corridor as a long-term redevelopment framework. WellStar Paulding Hospital recently broke ground on a major expansion, and Chattahoochee Technical College opened a new aviation training academy, signaling continued economic investment and population growth in the area.
The Paulding County School District has sustained momentum in recent years. Voters approved E-SPLOST VII, a continuation of the one-cent sales tax for education, which allows the district to avoid property tax increases for school bond millage; the district has now passed six consecutive E-SPLOST renewals. The district is opening a new elementary school in 2026 and realigning attendance boundaries as a result, which may affect school assignments for families already in the area. All five of the district's high schools were named Advanced Placement Honor Schools for 2026 by the state superintendent, and the district's four-year graduation rate rose above the state average, signaling a district with academic ambition and institutional support for college preparation.
Lena Mae Moses is one school within this system of change and growth. The school's current academic performance does not put it among high-performing outliers, and a parent considering enrollment should examine the school's academic initiatives, staffing continuity, and any supplemental support programs available to students not yet meeting proficiency. The school's enrollment size and demographics make it a typical middle school for the county. For families in the Dallas area, this is the middle school assignment from the district; school choice within the district or alternative placements would involve district-level inquiry or exploration of private or charter options.
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