South Georgia Times

Among the many ethnicities represented in Lowndes County schools, African American was the most prevalent among Lowndes County students in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

Of the 18,930 students attending Lowndes County schools, 46.7% were African American. White students were the second most common ethnicity, making up 36.8% of Lowndes County student body.

In the previous school year, African American students were also the most common group in Lowndes County, representing 46.4% of the student body.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased 1.4% when compared to the previous year.

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	Most prevalent ethnic group	% of Total Student Population	Total Enrollment
Pinevale Elementary School	African American	89%	523
W.G. Nunn Elementary School	African American	89%	845
Lowndes Middle School	White	55%	842
Newbern Middle School	African American	88%	802
J. L. Lomax Elementary School	African American	85%	537
Moulton-Branch Elementary School	White	55%	533
Lowndes High School	White	58%	3,066
Valdosta High School	African American	76%	2,302
Valdosta Middle School	African American	72%	1,081
Sallas Mahone Elementary School	African American	67%	1,034
Westside Elementary School	White	60%	881
S.L. Mason Elementary School	African American	68%	857
Hahira Middle School	White	69%	850
Dewar Elementary School	White	39%	812
Hahira Elementary School	White	72%	755
Pine Grove Middle School	White	43%	744
Scintilla Charter Academy	White	55%	699
Pine Grove Elementary School	White	51%	602
Lake Park Elementary School	White	65%	588
Clyattville Elementary School	White	51%	577