The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Pulaski County Middle School
Pulaski County Middle School serves grades six through eight in Hawkinsville, a small county-seat town on the Ocmulgee River in Middle Georgia known for its harness-horse heritage and recent downtown revitalization efforts. The school is part of the Pulaski County School District, which has undergone a significant structural change: the district consolidated its separate elementary, middle, and high schools onto a single K-12 campus, a move funded largely by a state grant and local education sales tax.
The school enrolls a small student body drawn from across the county. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is racially and ethnically mixed, with roughly equal shares of white and Black students and smaller numbers of Hispanic and Asian students. Students come from a rural or small-town economic context where major employers include a regional hospital, a state correctional facility, the school district itself, local government, agricultural operations, and light manufacturing. Many families work in retail trade, manufacturing, or healthcare.
Academically, Pulaski County Middle School's state test results show proficiency levels well below state norms across all measured subjects. In English language arts, overall school proficiency sits in the low range, with seventh grade performing noticeably better than sixth and eighth grades. In mathematics, proficiency is similarly low and relatively flat across grades six, seven, and eight. Science proficiency at eighth grade is very low, as is social studies proficiency for the same grade. The data available covers only the current school year, so year-to-year trends cannot be assessed from the provided information.
The school's modest enrollment size means it functions as the single middle school serving Pulaski County; state testing comparisons with other districts in the county are not possible because Pulaski County has only one school district. A parent may want to look into further with the school what academic supports, intervention strategies, and instructional approaches are in place to address the low proficiency levels, particularly in science and social studies.
Hawkinsville itself is a car-dependent town with a revitalized downtown district that has received streetscape improvements and hosts community events. Housing is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. The district recently reduced its school property tax millage rate, a meaningful ongoing reduction for homeowners considering the area. The consolidated K-12 campus means all school-age children in the district attend the same building, reshaping transportation, schedules, and campus life in ways families should understand as they evaluate the community.
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