Rome Reporter

There were 824 third grade students enrolled in Gordon County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 43.9% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Sonoraville Elementary School welcomed the largest number of third grade students among county schools, registering 192 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 3rd Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Sonoraville Elementary School	192	17.5%	1,099
Tolbert Elementary School	166	17.3%	961
Fairmount Elementary School	128	18.1%	706
Belwood Elementary School	123	14%	880
Red Bud Elementary School	119	12.6%	942
Swain Elementary School	96	13.7%	701
Calhoun Elementary School	0	0%	1,774