Georgia Mountain News

There were 601 fifth grade students enrolled in White County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 5.1% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Tesnatee Gap Elementary School welcomed the largest number of fifth grade students among county schools, registering 170 students during the 2022-23 school year.

Within White County schools, the highest student count was found in 12th grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in sixth grade.

Statewide, White County ranked 52nd in enrollment numbers, with a total of 12,127 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 52nd 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 5th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Tesnatee Gap Elementary School	170	18.3%	927
Jack P. Nix Elementary School	169	20.6%	822
Mount Yonah Elementary School	147	16.9%	870
Mossy Creek Elementary School	115	14.9%	774