The top reported proficiency rate is 88% in Social studies. The lowest is 36% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Memorial Drive Elementary School
Memorial Drive Elementary serves grades kindergarten through fifth in Waycross, Georgia, a small Southeast Georgia city that historically grew as a railroad junction and now anchors its identity around the nearby Okefenokee Swamp. The school enrolls a small student population that is roughly evenly split between white and Black students, with smaller shares of students of other backgrounds. Nearly all students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community facing significant economic constraint.
The school's state assessment results from the most recent year show proficiency rates that sit below the midpoint range across tested subjects. In math, proficiency ranges from the low-to-mid range across grades three, four, and five. English language arts proficiency is lower, with results in the low range across those same grades. Science proficiency in grade five aligns with math. These numbers suggest Memorial Drive is serving students with below-average readiness in core academics, and a parent may want to look into further detail with the school about how instruction targets students working below grade-level benchmarks and what supplemental supports exist.
The school is part of Ware County Schools, a two-district system in the county. The district recently completed a major referendum-funded capital project, with a new Waycross Middle School under construction and expected to open for the 2026-2027 school year. At the elementary level, the school operates within a district that has adopted a bell-to-bell electronic device prohibition for all grades starting in 2025-2026, meaning phones and similar devices are stored throughout the day. The district also raised its property millage rate in 2024 above rollback, a decision that directly affects property tax bills for families owning homes in the district.
Waycross itself is at an economic inflection point. The city announced that ADMARES, a Finnish home-manufacturing company, will construct a large industrial facility expected to open in late 2025 and create many jobs. The city faces a documented housing shortage, with new residential projects underway including a 72-unit apartment complex near downtown and workforce housing aimed at younger adults. The Waycross-Ware County Public Library serves the area, and civic life is anchored in or near the historic downtown, though schools operate on separated campuses outside the immediate downtown core.
Housing values in the zip code are modest relative to state and national benchmarks, and mortgage affordability is better than the national average. The local economy reflects healthcare, rail logistics, manufacturing, education, and government employment. The area sits in the Jacksonville, Florida television market and has no fixed-route public transit; car travel is essential.
Memorial Drive is a regular public elementary school with no special designations. State testing data for only the most recent year is available, so trend information is not present. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment rates, and English learner enrollment were not available in the school's profile.
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