African American students accounted for 57% of Center Elementary’s enrollment in 2024-25

Center Elementary School had 266 African American students enrolled for the 2024-25 school year, unchanged from the prior year, reports the Georgia Department of Education.

Total enrollment at Center Elementary reached 468 students in 2024-25. African American students represented the largest demographic at the school, making up 57% of the student population.

The school operates within the Ware County School District, which is headquartered in Waycross.

Of Ware County’s nine schools, Ware County High School posted the highest number of African American students in 2024-25, enrolling 623 students.

Georgia public schools enrolled more than 1.7 million students, according to the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 data. Enrollment figures were greatest in elementary grades with 787,206 students (45.9%), followed by high school at 539,092 students (31.4%), and middle school at 388,733 students (22.7%).

Chronic absenteeism continues to be a challenge for Georgia schools since the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. To address this, GaDOE introduced a statewide initiative including a real-time attendance dashboard, public awareness campaign, and targeted support for high-need districts aiming to raise daily attendance.

In 2025, legislation passed by Georgia lawmakers changed school attendance policies, prohibiting expulsion solely for absenteeism. The updated law also brought additional reporting standards and linked with programs allowing students to earn diplomas through alternative pathways.

By 2026, Georgia’s student-to-teacher ratio averaged about 14:1, which was lower than the national average of 15:1.