Rome Reporter

There were 853 kindergarten students enrolled in Gordon County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 41.9% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Red Bud Elementary School welcomed the largest number of kindergarten students among county schools, registering 173 students during the 2022-23 school year.

Within Gordon County schools, the highest student count was found in ninth grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in third grade.

Statewide, Gordon County ranked 42nd in enrollment numbers, with a total of 17,707 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was ranked 37th the year before.

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 name	# of Kindergarten Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Red Bud Elementary School	173	18.4%	942
Tolbert Elementary School	163	17%	961
Belwood Elementary School	144	16.4%	880
Sonoraville Elementary School	143	13%	1,099
Fairmount Elementary School	126	17.8%	706
Swain Elementary School	104	14.8%	701
Calhoun Elementary School	0	0%	1,774