Ruskin Elementary School enrolled 61 Hispanic students for 2024-25, up 7%

During the 2024-25 school year, Ruskin Elementary School enrolled 61 Hispanic students—an increase of 7% compared to the previous year, reports from the Georgia Department of Education show.

Total enrollment at Ruskin Elementary School reached 364 students for 2024-25. Of those, Hispanic students comprised 17% of the total student body, ranking as the second-smallest demographic group at the school.

The school is part of the Ware County School District, whose central office is in Waycross.

Among the nine Ware County schools, Ware County High School had the largest Hispanic enrollment in the 2024-25 school year with 140 students.

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates the racial and ethnic breakdown of Georgia’s public school students was about 36.4% Black, 35.9% white, 18.1% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4.6% multiracial, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Pacific Islander.

Chronic absenteeism continues to significantly affect Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. The Georgia Department of Education responded by launching a statewide effort that includes a real-time attendance dashboard, a public awareness campaign, and targeted support for districts with the greatest need to increase daily attendance.

In 2025, state lawmakers enacted revisions to attendance laws banning expulsion for absenteeism alone. The updated law imposes new reporting requirements and aligns with initiatives designed to support diploma attainment via alternative routes.

By 2026, Georgia’s student-to-teacher ratio averaged about 14:1, an improvement over the national average of 15:1.

Note: Due to potential gaps in the available data, reported percentages may not total exactly 100%.