South Georgia Times

There were 1,342 eighth grade students enrolled in Thomas County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.8% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Thomas County Middle School welcomed the largest number of eighth grade students among county schools, registering 916 students during the 2022-23 school year.

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

Statewide, Thomas County ranked 46th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 15,987 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 46th 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 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Thomas County Middle School	916	26.7%	3,431
MacIntyre Park Middle School	390	34.6%	1,126
Bishop Hall Charter School	36	9.6%	376