The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in Social studies. The lowest is 30% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Matt Wilson Elementary School
Matt Wilson Elementary School serves the early elementary grades across a student body drawn almost entirely from families at or below the federal poverty line. The school's state assessment results show proficiency rates below the midpoint of what is typical across Georgia, with a trajectory that widens as students move through the tested grades in math and language arts. In English language arts, roughly one in five third-graders reached proficiency on the state test; that proportion grew to roughly three in ten by fifth grade. Math proficiency was somewhat higher, starting around three in ten in third grade and rising to around four in ten by fifth grade. Science proficiency at fifth grade sat in a similar range. These are the core academic measures available; multi-year trend data was not available, so patterns of improvement or decline over time cannot be assessed from the data provided.
The school enrolls a small student body for an elementary school, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across its seven grade bands from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The racial and ethnic composition is mixed, with Black students representing just over half the enrollment, white students roughly a quarter, Hispanic students roughly a sixth, and Asian and multiracial students making up small shares. All students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic hardship that shapes both the student population and the resources available to the school. Specific data on students with disabilities or English learners were not reported, so the proportion of students receiving those services is not known from the available information.
Matt Wilson Elementary sits in Tifton, a small South Georgia city that functions as a regional hub for surrounding counties. The area's economy centers on healthcare, agriculture, education, and distribution; Tift Regional Medical Center is the region's largest employer, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia's Tifton Campus are major institutional anchors. The historic downtown has been revitalized and is walkable, though the city beyond the core is car-oriented. Housing values in the zipcode are modest relative to the state and national benchmarks, making the area relatively affordable for families seeking to purchase homes.
The Tift County School District, the parent district, is in the midst of a major infrastructure transition. A new high school campus was approved through voter referendum and is under construction, expected to open in Fall 2027 with expanded career and technical programs, fine arts, and athletic facilities. At the same time, the district reduced its millage rate in 2025, a property tax cut that affects household budgets. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, all Tift County students will receive free meals, eliminating meal costs for families. The district also lengthened the school day in 2025-2026, shifting start and end times and affecting daily family schedules and childcare arrangements. These ongoing shifts in tax policy, meal provision, and school schedules are material changes for any family considering the district.
Parents may want to look into what academic supports and interventions the school has in place to address the gap between state proficiency expectations and current student outcomes, and what the trajectory of improvement looks like over longer stretches of time than the single year of data available here.
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