MOULTRIE, GEORGIA – October 21, 2025- The Georgia Department of Education's Office of Federal Programs has recognized Hamilton Elementary, Norman Park Elementary, and Stringfellow Elementary for improving their English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics performance.
Hamilton Elementary School has been named a 2025 Title I Distinguished School, recognizing it for being in the top five percent in the state for overall academic achievement. The recognition is based on combined scores for ELA and Math from 2024. They can now apply for the prestigious 2025 National ESEA Distinguished School Award. Only two schools in Georgia will be selected for this national honor.
Hamilton Elementary saw increased content mastery for ELA (up 11.87%), math (6.93%), and science (22.36%), and their percentage of students reading at or above grade level (up 12.87%). Principal Kristyn Nelms shared, "We held consistent and purposeful collaboration time among all staff to support student academic growth." She also shared that they implemented a Georgia Milestones Bootcamp, providing targeted end-of-grade assessment preparation, and expanded their instructional resources using Title I funds. These investments supported literacy growth, reinforced grade-level standards, and offered tailored instructional pathways to close gaps or accelerate learning beyond grade-level expectations.
"We congratulate Hamilton Elementary for achieving the prestigious Title I Distinguished School designation," stated Mr. Chappuis. "This recognition is a testament to the power of high expectations, effective teaching, community support, and the belief that every child can learn and be successful."
Norman Park Elementary and Stringfellow Elementary have been named 2025 Title I Reward Schools. As Title I Reward Schools, the elementary schools are among the top five percent in the state, making the most progress in improving performance in ELA and mathematics in all subgroups.
Norman Park attributes their academic progress to a focus on standards-based instruction and data. They implemented small group FLEX time focused on learning gaps. They also held weekly collaborative team meetings to review student data and determine instructional focus. Their FLEX time and groups were fluid based on these collaborative meeting outcomes, and meeting students where they needed the most support. Norman Park saw significant gains in content mastery in ELA (up 11.55%) and math (up 11.37%), and 86.83% of students were at or above grade level in reading.
Stringfellow Elementary School Principal Brian Knighton shared, "Our success has been built on years of foundational work, beginning with creating a clear school mission, vision, and collective commitments that guide everything we do." He also noted that they have invested in intentional and uninterrupted collaboration team time and stronger instruction due to GaDOE Teacher Clarity Training. Stringfellow saw double-digit content mastery growth from 2023 to 2024 (17.5% increase). Principal Knighton also noted that behavior has significantly improved, allowing teachers to focus on instruction and students remaining in class for learning.
"We are incredibly proud of the outstanding dedication and hard work demonstrated by the teachers, students, and leaders at Norman Park and Stringfellow Elementary Schools, whose commitment to academic excellence has earned them the well-deserved recognition as Title I Reward Schools," shared Superintendent Dan Chappuis.
This past school year, the school district performed well overall on the Georgia Milestones. Colquitt County schools showed growth on 13 assessments, including double-digit increases in 5t-grade science, seventh-grade math, and eighth-grade physical science.