South Georgia Times

There were 3,004 eighth grade students enrolled in Lowndes County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.7% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Valdosta Middle School welcomed the largest number of eighth grade students among county schools, registering 707 students during the 2022-23 school year.

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

Statewide, Lowndes County ranked 22nd in enrollment numbers, with a total of 38,025 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 22nd the year before.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, over 1.6 million students were enrolled in Georgia's public schools during the 2021-22 school year. The state boasted a diverse and closely distributed student body across grade levels, with roughly 44% of the students in elementary, 24.5% in middle school, and 31.5% in high schools.

The state also registered an ethnically diverse student body, with 34.4% of the students identified as white, 36.5% as Black, 17.1% as Hispanic, and 4.5% as Asian.

School name	# of 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Valdosta Middle School	707	33%	2,142
Lowndes Middle School	601	35.7%	1,684
Pine Grove Middle School	552	37.1%	1,486
Hahira Middle School	537	31.4%	1,709
Newbern Middle School	527	32.8%	1,608
Scintilla Charter Academy	80	5.6%	1,420