Hispanic students comprise 23% of Tolbert Elementary enrollment for 2024-25

During the 2024-25 school year, Tolbert Elementary School had 112 Hispanic students enrolled, which marked a 5.1% decrease from the prior year, reports from the Georgia Department of Education show.

The school reported a total student body of 488 for 2024-25. Hispanic students accounted for 23% of enrollment, ranking as the second-largest demographic group at the school.

Located within the Gordon County School District, Tolbert Elementary is served by the district’s main office in Calhoun.

Of Gordon County’s 10 schools, Gordon Central High School reported the largest number of Hispanic students for the 2024-25 school year, with a total enrollment of 281.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school enrollments in Georgia consist of about 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 students.

Chronic absenteeism remains a significant concern in Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing at least 10% of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. In response, GaDOE launched statewide measures such as a real-time attendance dashboard, a public outreach initiative, and focused support efforts to improve daily attendance in high-need districts.

In 2025, Georgia legislators approved updates to school attendance laws prohibiting expulsions based solely on absenteeism. The changes also require new reporting procedures and align with programs offering alternative routes to diploma completion.

By 2026, Georgia’s average student-teacher ratio stood at about 14:1, ahead of the national average of 15:1.

Information in this article was sourced from the Georgia Department of Education. To access the source data, visit here.