Original Research by School Decision on Harpst Academy
Harpst Academy is a small school serving prekindergarten through twelfth grade in Cedartown, a county-seat city roughly seventy miles northwest of Atlanta that is in active revitalization after decades of post-industrial decline. The school's enrollment is very small, concentrated heavily in the high school grades, with just a handful of middle-grade students currently attending.
State testing data for the school's middle grades shows proficiency rates well below the state baseline. In English language arts across tested grades six through eight, the school reported an overall proficiency rate in the low double digits. In mathematics, the proficiency rate fell to single digits. These are notably low results, and a parent may want to discuss directly with the school what academic supports and interventions are in place for students working below grade-level expectations, and what pathways the school offers to help students gain ground.
The school's high school grades are not assessed via state testing in the traditional sense, so state proficiency data is not available for that band. A parent or guardian of a high school student should inquire with the school about its course offerings, graduation requirements, postsecondary planning supports, and any dual-credit or early-college pathways that might be available.
The student body is small and mixed in composition. About half the enrollment is white students, with a substantial share who are Black, and a smaller share who are Hispanic. Specific demographic breakdowns by special populations, free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, or English learners were not reported in the available data. The school's very small size means class sizes are likely intimate, a characteristic some families prefer, though it may also limit course breadth or peer diversity depending on how the school structures its offerings.
Cedartown itself is experiencing renewed civic investment and economic growth. Downtown sits on a historic Main Street with preserved commercial architecture, the Silver Comet Trail (a paved rail-trail for walking and cycling) runs through town, and parks including Peek Park and Big Spring Park anchor community life. A solar recycling company is building two facilities expected to bring jobs to the area by 2027, and new housing developments have broken ground to meet expected demand. Housing values in the zip code are moderate relative to national benchmarks, and mortgage costs as a share of typical household income sit at a manageable level, making the area relatively accessible on that front. At the same time, Polk County voters approved a senior homestead exemption from school district property taxes in November 2025, a change that is expected to reduce the district's annual tax revenue substantially, a fiscal shift with longer-term implications for what younger families may eventually fund.
Information about the school's staffing, discipline climate, attendance rates, special education and English learner services, extracurricular offerings, or school website was not available in the data, so a parent should reach out to the school directly to understand those dimensions of the environment.
See more original research from School Decision →