South Georgia Times

There were 50 Hispanic students enrolled in Wheeler County school in the 2022-23 school year, 13.8% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Data showed that Wheeler County welcomed 813 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 6.2% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the three schools in Wheeler County, Wheeler County Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 21 students.

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 Hispanic Students	Total Hispanic Students	Total enrollment
Wheeler County Middle School	7%	14	203
Wheeler County Elementary School	6%	21	353
Wheeler County High School	6%	15	257