Sara M. Ragsdale Elementary, Rockmart GA

Original Research by School Decision on Sara M. Ragsdale Elementary

Sara M. Ragsdale Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in Rockmart, a small town in Polk County positioned on the northern edge of metro Atlanta's commute shed. The school sits in a community experiencing rapid growth, with new residential subdivisions underway and housing demand driven by remote workers and Atlanta-bound commuters seeking a quieter setting. The town itself has a compact historic downtown with slate-built churches and a walkable commercial core anchored by the Silver Comet Trail, but civic infrastructure, including schools, sits on separate campuses away from that core.

The school's most recent state testing data shows proficiency rates that fall below the midpoint for tested subjects. In third-grade reading, fewer than in-state grade-level peers demonstrated proficiency; by fourth grade, reading results rose modestly, and fifth-grade reading showed a similar level. Math proficiency was somewhat stronger across grades three, four, and five, though still below half of tested students meeting the standard in grades three and five. Fifth-grade science results tracked with reading outcomes. The school has only one year of recent testing data available, so a trend cannot be assessed. State social-studies results from an older assessment cycle showed much stronger performance, but that assessment is no longer in use, making direct comparison to current proficiency not possible.

A substantial share of students at Ragsdale qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling that the school serves a community with meaningful economic constraints. The enrollment of roughly grade-band size is majority white, with a secondary presence of Black and Hispanic students; racial composition in the Rockmart area reflects broader demographic patterns in exurban commute corridors.

The school is part of Paulding County Schools, a district that continues a pattern of sustained investment and growth. Voters have approved six consecutive E-SPLOST renewals, most recently in late 2023, a one-cent sales tax that funds capital improvements while keeping property-tax millage rates on school debt service at zero; that is a meaningful holding pattern for homeowners. The district is opening a new Crossroads Elementary in 2026 and realigning boundaries for seven elementary schools as a result, so families in Ragsdale's zone may find themselves reassigned. The district's 2024 four-year graduation rate exceeded the state average by a clear margin, and all five high schools earned state AP Honor School designation in 2026, reflecting a trajectory of academic ambition at the secondary level. The recently completed addition at North Paulding High School expanded science and career-and-technical-education lab capacity, signaling the district's investment in technical pathways alongside traditional academics.

A parent weighing Ragsdale may want to look into the school's specific supports for reading proficiency, where results lag furthest, and to clarify which school their home will be zoned to after the 2026 boundary realignment. The school offers a solid foundation in a growing community where district-level trends point toward rising academic standards and sustained capital investment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 47% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 46% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 43% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 40% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-885%

School 85% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolPaulding 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-income27%Higher-income46%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income43%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income66%10 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income37%Higher-income52%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income50%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income62%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income43%7 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income41%Higher-income52%11 pp gap