The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Social studies. The lowest is 31% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Annie Belle Clark Elementary School
Annie Belle Clark Elementary School is a school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Tifton, a regional commercial hub in South Georgia. The school sits within Tift County Schools, a district that spans rural and small-town areas of the county and operates multiple elementary schools alongside middle and high schools.
Enrollment runs in the low hundreds across the grade band. The student body is racially diverse, with roughly equal shares of white and Black students, along with smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the school's catchment.
On the most recent state assessments, proficiency levels show a pattern of concern across tested grades and subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rates range from the low-to-high twenties across grades three, four, and five. Mathematics proficiency runs in the low-to-mid-forties at grade four and science at grade five, but dips considerably lower at grades three and five in math. These results place the school well below the midpoint of typical elementary performance and suggest that a significant portion of students are not yet meeting grade-level standards in foundational skills. A parent evaluating this school may want to ask directly about intervention supports, small-group instruction, and literacy or numeracy programs that address these gaps.
The housing market in Tifton and the surrounding area is accessible compared to state and national benchmarks, with homes priced moderately below the state average. The city itself is a walkable downtown anchored by a restored historic district and civic amenities including parks, a library, and theaters, though most residential neighborhoods and commercial areas outside downtown are car-dependent. The area is growing modestly, with new housing construction and business development, and the Tift County Schools district has recently opened a new high school campus with expanded career and technical programs, a development that factors into longer-term educational continuity for families in the system.
The district recently lengthened the school day by roughly an hour, a change that affects family schedules and childcare. Starting in the next school year, all students across Tift County Schools will receive meals at no charge. The district also lowered property tax rates in 2025 and opted out of a statewide homestead exemption, meaning Tifton homeowners do not receive certain tax caps that other Georgia districts provide. These are concrete financial and operational shifts that shape the household experience of attending school in Tift County.
Annie Belle Clark sits within a single-district county comparison universe, so direct peer benchmarking against other local schools is limited by data availability. The school's proficiency profile and the documented need to strengthen reading and math outcomes are the primary academic considerations a parent would weigh, balanced against the school's accessibility, the community's civic anchors, and the district's recent facility investments and meal support.
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