Georgia Mountain News

There were 638 ninth grade students enrolled in Dawson County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 6.7% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Dawson County Junior High School was the only school in the county to welcome ninth grade students during the 2022-23 school year.

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

Statewide, Dawson County ranked 71st in enrollment numbers, with a total of 7,526 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was ranked 73rd 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 9th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Dawson County Junior High School	638	50%	1,275
Dawson County High School	0	0%	1,542