Six schools in the Colquitt County School District have been recognized as Literacy or Math Leaders by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), doubling the number of local recipients from last year. This designation was awarded following the release of the 2025 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which serves as the state's comprehensive report card for schools and districts.
CCRPI Leader Awards Highlight Exceptional Foundational Skills
A total of seven CCRPI Leader awards were earned across six different elementary schools, recognizing exceptional performance and growth in foundational skills:
- Literacy Leader (3rd-Grade Gateway Achievement): Hamilton Elementary School was recognized for having 90% or more of its students reading at or above grade level. Hamilton's literacy scores were the highest in the Coastal Plains RESA, which spans 12 South Georgia counties.
- Literacy Leader (3rd-Grade Gateway Growth): Doerun, Hamilton, Odom, and Stringfellow Elementary Schools were honored for demonstrating exceptional year-over-year growth in the percentage of third-grade students reading at or above grade level.
- Literacy Leader (5th-Grade Growth): Stringfellow Elementary also earned a growth award for its fifth-grade reading scores.
- Math Leader (5th-Grade Gateway Growth): Funston and Norman Park Elementary Schools were named Math Leaders for showing exceptional growth in the percentage of students who scored at the Proficient or Distinguished levels on the 2025 Georgia Milestones End of Grade assessment (GMAS EOG).
District Shows Widespread Gains Across Key Success Measures
The district demonstrated widespread gains in key CCRPI components that measure overall student success:
- Content Mastery: Ten Colquitt County schools showed gains in Content Mastery, which measures overall student achievement.
- The largest increases were seen at Williams Middle School (+8.3 percentage points), Funston Elementary (+7.9 points), Stringfellow Elementary (+7.3 points), and Norman Park Elementary (+6.2 points).
- District-wide, Content Mastery scores increased by 4.0 points in grades 6-8, 2.6 points in grades 9-12, and 1.6 points in elementary school.
- Readiness: Eleven schools saw an increase in their Readiness scores, a metric that incorporates literacy, attendance, and accelerated/elective course enrollment. The greatest improvements were recorded at Funston (+5.2 points), Stringfellow (+5.1 points), and Doerun (+5.0 points).
- Closing the Gaps: Four schools showed substantial improvements in the "Closing the Gaps" measure, which evaluates the academic growth and achievement of different student populations (including race and ethnicity, economic status, special education, and ESOL). The schools making these key strides are Williams Middle School, Okapilco Elementary School, Funston Elementary School, and Stringfellow Elementary School.
- Progress: Three schools showed substantial improvement in the Progress component, which evaluates the academic growth students demonstrate in English language arts and mathematics, and monitors English Learner progress toward proficiency. The schools recognized for these gains are Colquitt County High School, Williams Middle School, and Funston Elementary School.
Critical District-Wide Indicator Improvements
Colquitt County also saw critical improvements in district-wide indicators:
- Graduation Rate: Colquitt County High School's graduation rate reached 90.63%, marking the first time the school's rate has surpassed 90%.
- Attendance: Student attendance, a major focus area post-pandemic, drastically improved across the board. Grades 9-12 saw the largest increase at 7.89 percentage points, while elementary attendance improved by 6.61 points.
- Literacy Rate: The district literacy rate slightly increased from 65.19% in 2024 to 65.32% in 2025. This is a marked increase from the district’s literacy rate of 39.12% in 2022.
Superintendent's Statement
Colquitt County School District Superintendent Dan Chappuis stated:
“The 2025 CCRPI results affirm the hard work and dedication taking place every day across our schools. The measurable gains in Content Mastery, Literacy, Attendance, and Graduation Rate highlight the commitment of our teachers, the perseverance of our students, and the support of our families and community. These achievements reflect a shared pursuit of excellence for everyone and every one throughout the Colquitt County School District. We are very proud of what we’ve accomplished together as we work to ensure that every student is prepared to be enrolled, enlisted, or employed after they graduate from high school.”
Note on CCRPI Scoring
The 2025 CCRPI no longer includes an overall 0-100 score for schools, districts, or the state; however, each CCRPI component still has a 0-100 score. This change was made by GaDOE to increase transparency and provide a more complete picture of school performance. Legislation passed in 2024 requires the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to calculate a single score for schools and districts, and GaDOE and local school districts will publish these scores online as soon as they are available.