Hightower Trail Elementary School

Summary:

Hightower Trail Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Conyers, Georgia, part of the Rockdale County School District. With 533 students, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Georgia elementary schools over the past 10 years, currently at 997 out of 1,248 schools.

Hightower Trail Elementary faces significant challenges in improving student achievement. The school consistently underperforms the Rockdale County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessments, with only 28.1% of 3rd graders proficient or better in ELA compared to 26.9% in Rockdale County and 38.4% statewide. Additionally, Hightower Trail has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 62.87% to 80.68% over the past 3 years, significantly higher than the state average. Despite higher spending per student, between $10,239 and $10,794, the school's performance remains poor.

Comparing Hightower Trail to nearby schools highlights the potential for improvement. The elementary schools in the neighboring Walton County district, such as Walnut Grove Elementary and Sharon Elementary, significantly outperform Hightower Trail and the Rockdale County schools on test scores, despite serving student populations with similar free/reduced lunch rates. This suggests that the challenges faced by Hightower Trail and the broader Rockdale County district may be systemic, requiring a comprehensive review of educational strategies, resource allocation, and support systems for students and teachers.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

2510 Highway 138 NE
Conyers, GA 30013

(770) 388-0751

District: Rockdale County

SchoolDigger Rank:
997^th of 1,248 Georgia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,689

Students who attend Hightower Trail Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Conyers Middle School
High:	Rockdale County High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.1

Number of students: 498

Racial breakdown:

African American:

60.4%

Hispanic:

20.5%

White:

12.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 87.3%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Hightower Trail Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Hightower Trail Elementary School ranks worse than 79.9% of elementary schools in Georgia. It also ranks last among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Rockdale County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.87. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Hightower Trail Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (60.4%), Hispanic (20.5%), White (12.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 87.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Hightower Trail Elementary School is 11.1, which is the 4^th best among 11 elementary schools in the Rockdale County School District. (See more...)

Compare Hightower Trail Elementary School employs 44.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hightower Trail Elementary School is $10,689. 5 elementary schools in the Rockdale County School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Hightower Trail Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Rockdale County:

SchoolDigger ranks Rockdale County 148^th of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Hightower Trail Elementary School.

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Rank History for Hightower Trail Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	75.87	245^th	1101	77.7%
2007	68.74	369^th	1125	67.2%
2008	75.53	237^th	1134	79.1%
2009	57.02	534^th	1133	52.9%
2010	55.02	623^rd	1183	47.3%
2011	61.38	551^st	1212	54.5%
2012	60.56	565^th	1201	53.0%
2013	51.01	732^nd	1225	40.2%
2014	50.69	736^th	1231	40.2%
2015	35.56	797^th	1240	35.7%
2016	40.18	722^nd	1233	41.4%
2017	40.66	691^st	1205	42.7%
2018	45.88	618^th	1209	48.9%
2019	44.67	659^th	1234	46.6%
2021	43.68	637^th	1214	47.5%
2022	33.29	801^st	1244	35.6%
2023	23.10	955^th	1242	23.1%
2024	20.87	997^th	1248	20.1%

See the entire list of Georgia Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, December 8, 2016

the school has went down hill in the passed two years Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, July 20, 2012

This is an awesome school. You can't find a better staff than the one at this school. The teachers are caring, trust worthy, educated and basically on top of their game. I haven't met one person in this school environment that I didn't like. This school is always striving for the best....not only from the students but from the staff also. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Hightower Trail Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	681	681
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	756	756
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	819	819
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	803	803
1994	577	93	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	678
1995	559	110	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	680
1996	559	110	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	680
1997	489	79	1	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	578
1998	503	89	3	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	604
1999	492	94	3	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	598
2000	442	96	6	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	560
2001	436	120	3	12	2	n/a	n/a	0	573
2002	396	122	4	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	543
2003	396	122	4	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	543
2004	358	130	8	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	518
2005	350	171	11	28	0	n/a	n/a	14	574
2006	330	220	10	20	4	n/a	n/a	15	599
2007	322	211	10	32	3	n/a	n/a	22	600
2008	316	245	6	26	1	n/a	n/a	26	620
2009	306	268	6	28	1	n/a	n/a	27	636
2010	279	351	9	73	2	0	27	0	741
2011	250	378	6	77	2	0	23	0	736
2012	251	330	5	67	2	1	18	0	674
2013	245	337	6	75	2	1	19	0	685
2014	251	339	5	74	1	0	22	0	692
2015	213	362	7	84	1	0	22	0	689
2016	189	374	10	70	1	2	21	0	667
2017	166	365	8	80	0	2	23	0	644
2018	140	376	9	71	0	2	19	0	617
2019	116	368	6	87	0	2	22	0	601
2020	109	345	6	87	1	5	21	0	574
2021	74	305	10	89	2	1	20	0	501
2022	75	297	4	86	2	1	28	0	493
2023	71	326	3	105	3	1	24	0	533
2024	63	301	3	102	2	1	26	0	498

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Hightower Trail Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	681	36.0	18.9	n/a
1991	756	40.0	18.9	17.9
1992	819	45.5	18.0	22.1
1993	803	45.0	17.8	22.9
1994	678	43.5	15.6	24.3
1995	680	41.5	16.4	24.9
1996	680	41.5	16.4	24.9
1997	578	34.0	17.0	37.5
1998	604	36.4	16.6	42.2
1999	598	36.7	16.3	40.8
2000	560	37.0	15.1	40.5
2001	573	35.5	16.1	40
2002	543	35.0	15.5	47
2003	543	35.0	15.5	47
2004	518	33.0	15.7	48.5
2005	574	37.0	15.5	51.6
2006	599	40.2	14.9	53.6
2007	600	39.2	15.3	52.8
2008	620	42.8	14.5	55.7
2009	636	50.0	12.7	64.4
2010	741	45.0	16.4	65.6
2011	736	49.3	14.9	66.8
2012	674	47.8	14.1	65.9
2013	685	43.0	15.9	72
2014	692	43.5	15.9	69.1
2015	689	46.0	14.9	69.5
2016	667	46.0	14.5	75
2017	644	47.5	13.5	77.5
2018	617	44.0	14.0	73.3
2019	601	41.0	14.6	76.4
2020	574	40.3	14.2	78
2021	501	40.3	12.4	62.9
2022	493	43.3	11.3	n/a
2023	533	44.0	12.1	80.7
2024	498	44.6	11.1	87.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Hightower Trail Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	681	36.0	18.9	n/a
1991	756	40.0	18.9	17.9
1992	819	45.5	18.0	22.1
1993	803	45.0	17.8	22.9
1994	678	43.5	15.6	24.3
1995	680	41.5	16.4	24.9
1996	680	41.5	16.4	24.9
1997	578	34.0	17.0	37.5
1998	604	36.4	16.6	42.2
1999	598	36.7	16.3	40.8
2000	560	37.0	15.1	40.5
2001	573	35.5	16.1	40
2002	543	35.0	15.5	47
2003	543	35.0	15.5	47
2004	518	33.0	15.7	48.5
2005	574	37.0	15.5	51.6
2006	599	40.2	14.9	53.6
2007	600	39.2	15.3	52.8
2008	620	42.8	14.5	55.7
2009	636	50.0	12.7	64.4
2010	741	45.0	16.4	65.6
2011	736	49.3	14.9	66.8
2012	674	47.8	14.1	65.9
2013	685	43.0	15.9	72
2014	692	43.5	15.9	69.1
2015	689	46.0	14.9	69.5
2016	667	46.0	14.5	75
2017	644	47.5	13.5	77.5
2018	617	44.0	14.0	73.3
2019	601	41.0	14.6	76.4
2020	574	40.3	14.2	78
2021	501	40.3	12.4	62.9
2022	493	43.3	11.3	n/a
2023	533	44.0	12.1	80.7
2024	498	44.6	11.1	87.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Hightower Trail Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$680 (6.6%)	$9,559 (93.4%)	$10,239
2018	$783 (7.3%)	$10,011 (92.7%)	$10,794
2019	$750 (7.0%)	$9,939 (93.0%)	$10,689

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Hightower Trail Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 659^th of 1234 Elementary schools	Ranks 955^th of 1242 Elementary schools	23.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	35.4	23.2	12.2%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Rockdale County)	34.8	26.7	8.1%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	38.6	3.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	38.9	24.5	14.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Rockdale County)	40.2	29.2	11%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	52	45.6	6.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	45.7	18.8	26.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Rockdale County)	35.9	23.3	12.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	42	36.1	5.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	55.2	17.5	37.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Rockdale County)	37.5	25.6	11.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	49	45.7	3.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	42.5	34.6	7.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Rockdale County)	42.5	34.1	8.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	45	41.6	3.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	27.9	17.7	10.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Rockdale County)	26.1	18.7	7.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	41	37.4	3.6%
5th Grade Science (Hightower Trail Elementary School)	36.5	25.3	11.2%
5th Grade Science (Rockdale County)	33.6	32.6	1%
5th Grade Science (Georgia)	43	40	3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	601	533	11.3%
African American	368	326	11.4%
American Indian	0	3
Asian	6	3	50%
Hispanic	87	105	20.7%
Pacific Islander	2	1	50%
White	116	71	38.8%
Two or More Races	22	24	9.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	76.4%	80.7%	4.3%

Schools Near Hightower Trail Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2024)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2024)			Milestones Assessment Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hightower Trail Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 Highway 138 NE	Conyers	30013	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 388-0751	498	45	11.1	87.3%	63 (12.7%)	301 (60.4%)	102 (20.5%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.2%)	20.9	997^th of 1248 public elementary schools	20.1%		23.1	955^th of 1242 public elementary schools	23.1%	42	28.1	21.4	27.9	26.4	27.1	15.1	22.1	$10,689	$751	$9,939
Pine Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	500 Sigman Rd NW	Conyers	30012	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 483-8713	660	53	12.4	91.2%	52 (7.9%)	431 (65.3%)	134 (20.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.8%)	34 (5.2%)	34.1	784^th of 1248 public elementary schools	37.2%		28.5	862^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	30.6%	78	28.6	29.2	43.6	23.8	37.5	20.2	38.3	$10,576	$868	$9,708
House Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3100 Zingara Road	Conyers	30012	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 483-9504	615	54	11.4	88.5%	67 (10.9%)	102 (16.6%)	428 (69.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	27	893^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	28.4%		25.5	906^th of 1242 public elementary schools	27.1%	13	31.4	17.0	36.1	32.4	26.1	19.8	31.3	$11,050	$588	$10,462
Hicks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Pine Log Rd NE	Conyers	30012	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 483-4410	947	67	14.1	85.5%	38 (4.0%)	678 (71.6%)	168 (17.7%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.8%)	50 (5.3%)	28.8	876^th of 1248 public elementary schools	29.8%		28	874^th of 1242 public elementary schools	29.6%	2	23.7	29.1	40.4	18.1	32.3	25.7	30.9	$10,845	$590	$10,255
Flat Shoals Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1455 Flat Shoals Rd SE	Conyers	30013	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 483-5136	616	56	11.0	81.2%	23 (3.7%)	468 (76.0%)	77 (12.5%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	36 (5.8%)	31.3	825^th of 1248 public elementary schools	33.9%		29.6	842^nd of 1242 public elementary schools	32.2%	17	28.0	27.3	42.2	29.0	33.0	22.0	30.3	$12,241	$462	$11,779
Peek's Chapel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 Avalon Pkwy	Conyers	30013	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 761-1842	573	39	14.8	85.2%	10 (1.7%)	476 (83.1%)	46 (8.0%)	11 (1.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.5%)	31.2	828^th of 1248 public elementary schools	33.7%		23	958^th of 1242 public elementary schools	22.9%	130	21.0	25.8	47.0	17.5	23.6	27.0	39.0	$9,893	$442	$9,451
Fairview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3325 Fairview Rd	Covington	30016	Newton County	Newton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 784-2959	597	36	16.7	90.1%	78 (13.1%)	375 (62.8%)	109 (18.3%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.4%)	18.3	1033^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	17.2%		18.3	1038^th of 1242 public elementary schools	16.4%	5	19.0	23.9	26.9	18.0	31.8	12.9	21.5	$11,770	$965	$10,805
Sharon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 White Rd	Loganville	30052	Walton County	Walton County	No	No	No	No	(678) 684-2850	723	53	13.5	58.6%	395 (54.6%)	122 (16.9%)	152 (21.0%)	17 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.8%)	72.8	313^th of 1248 public elementary schools	74.9%		74.1	288^th of 1242 public elementary schools	76.8%	25	61.3	38.7	55.8	65.8	52.4	53.5	47.3	$9,328	$384	$8,945
Shoal Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 McWilliams Rd SW	Conyers	30094	Rockdale County	Rockdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 929-1430	644	48	13.4	81.1%	51 (7.9%)	468 (72.7%)	79 (12.3%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.1%)	28.9	875^th of 1248 public elementary schools	29.9%		20.6	998^th of 1242 public elementary schools	19.6%	123	26.2	20.2	43.7	24.5	16.2	28.0	34.7	$10,536	$538	$9,998
Walnut Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	460 Highway 81 S	Covington	30014	Newton County	Walton County	No	No	No	No	(770) 784-0023	728	49	14.7	58.7%	547 (75.1%)	71 (9.8%)	65 (8.9%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (5.2%)	64.8	401^st of 1248 public elementary schools	67.9%		63.2	416^th of 1242 public elementary schools	66.5%	15	39.4	42.3	52.1	47.2	72.1	44.4	45.3	$10,497	$891	$9,606

Frequently Asked Questions about Hightower Trail Elementary School

Is Hightower Trail Elementary School a good school?

Hightower Trail Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.1% of Georgia elementary schools.

How many students attend Hightower Trail Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 498 students attended Hightower Trail Elementary School.

What district is Hightower Trail Elementary School in?

Rockdale County

What is the racial makeup of Hightower Trail Elementary School?

Students at Hightower Trail Elementary School are 60% African American, 20% Hispanic, 13% White, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Hightower Trail Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Hightower Trail Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Conyers Middle School
High : Rockdale County High School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.