Rome Reporter

There were 980 Black students enrolled in Polk County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 6.7% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Data showed that Polk County School District welcomed 7,540 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 13% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the district.

Among the nine schools in Polk County School District, Rockmart High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 161 students.

While enrollment in Georgia inches closer to pre-pandemic levels, chronic absenteeism remains a serious challenge. In 2023, a significant portion of students (23%) missed 10% or more of their classes. Although this is slightly better than the peak of 25% in 2022, it's still nearly double the pre-pandemic rate of 13% recorded in 2019.

School Year	Total enrollment	Total Black Students	% of Black Students
2022-23	7,540	980	13%
2021-22	7,504	1,050	14%
2020-21	7,430	1,040	14%
2019-20	7,612	1,141	15%
2018-19	7,555	1,133	15%
2017-18	7,439	1,041	14%
2016-17	7,446	1,042	14%
2015-16	7,384	1,033	14%
2014-15	7,368	1,105	15%
2013-14	7,290	1,020	14%
2012-13	7,181	1,005	14%
2011-12	7,121	996	14%
2010-11	7,240	1,086	15%