Harpst Academy admitted 4 Hispanic students for the 2024-25 school year, which marked a 300% increase over the prior year, reports from the Georgia Department of Education indicate.
Total enrollment at Harpst Academy reached 31 students during the 2024-25 school year. Hispanic students accounted for 13% of the population, representing the second-smallest ethnic group within the school.
Harpst Academy is part of the Polk County School District, headquartered in Cedartown.
Cedartown High School, one of the 11 schools in Polk County School District, had the largest number of Hispanic students in the 2024-25 school year, enrolling 589.
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that Georgia’s public schools had a racial and ethnic makeup of approximately 36.4% Black, 35.9% white, 18.1% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4.6% multiracial, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.
Chronic absenteeism continues to affect Georgia schools following the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. To address this issue, GaDOE created a statewide initiative featuring a real-time attendance dashboard, a public awareness campaign, and targeted support for districts in need to improve day-to-day attendance.
In 2025, Georgia lawmakers approved a bill revising school attendance law to prevent expulsions based only on absenteeism. The changes also require new reporting measures and connect with programs providing alternative diploma pathways.
By 2026, Georgia’s average student-teacher ratio was about 14:1, an improvement compared with the national average of 15:1.
| School Year | Total Enrollment | Total Hispanic students | % of Hispanic students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 53 | 2 | 4% |
| 2011-12 | 49 | 1 | 2% |
| 2012-13 | 50 | 3 | 7% |
| 2013-14 | 55 | 1 | 2% |
| 2014-15 | 53 | 1 | 2% |
| 2015-16 | 50 | 6 | 12% |
| 2016-17 | 54 | 5 | 10% |
| 2017-18 | 61 | 3 | 5% |
| 2018-19 | 59 | 5 | 9% |
| 2019-20 | 48 | 6 | 14% |
| 2020-21 | 26 | 2 | 9% |
| 2021-22 | 32 | 2 | 8% |
| 2022-23 | 24 | 1 | 4% |
| 2023-24 | 12 | 1 | 10% |
| 2024-25 | 31 | 4 | 13% |
Information in this article was obtained from the Georgia Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
