Content mastery, progress, readiness and graduation rate all above average
The results of this year’s 2025 College and Career Ready Performance Index reflect well on Gilmer County Schools (GCS).
“We’re going to work with our teachers and our families and community,” Assistant Superintendent Lottie Mitchell said. “We always want to do better.”
The tests, administered by the state of Georgia, measure school achievement with several different systems.
Gilmer High School (GHS) has a 97.3 percent graduation rate, beating both state averages and other nearby counties.
Clear Creek Elementary School (CCES) Clear Creek Middle School (CCMS) and GHS exceeded the state average in content mastery.
CCES and CCMS scored above state averages in student growth.
CCES, CCMS and GHS also performed above the state average in getting students ready for college. However, GHS student growth decreased. Elementary schools and middle schools also met Georgia’s Closing Gaps targets less often.
Gilmer students have made progress in literacy and algebra, Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley said.
“We really feel that we’re on a good pathway,” he said.
On many subjects, GCS is performing above the state average.
Ridley credits the county’s success to Mitchell, school administrators, academic coaches and teachers.
“They’ve made a commitment that they’re going to teach these kids how to read at the highest level possible,” he said.
Sometimes, these measurements can be confusing. For instance, some index charts a school’s success at meeting goals. When a school meets these goals for multiple years in a row, it can be recorded as having no improvement.
For instance, Gilmer’s middle schools have higher scores than many other Georgia middle schools, Ridley said. As a result, a small dip in their performance looks like a huge decrease in progress on index results.
In reality, it’s just a small blip in a highly successful record, Mitchell said.
“Even if our milestones are not exactly where we want, it’s not always a big surprise,” Mitchell said.
Some GCS statistics point to lingering cultural changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ridley said.
Even years after the shutdowns in 2020, test scores and attendance are lower than they should be.
“There’s so many societal issues that have been brought about by COVID,” he said.
Students after COVID-19 are less social, sometimes have weaker vocabulary and often value showing up for school less, Ridley said.
These traits increased because during lockdowns, kids socialized less and didn’t use much vocabulary.
The lockdowns also led families to believe attendance wasn’t extremely important. Today, raising attendance rates is one of Gilmer County’s biggest struggles.
“I think we’re going to see the effects of COVID for many, many years,” Ridley said.
Some recent trends suggest that kids unaffected by COVID lockdowns are doing better, Mitchell said. For Gilmer’s youngest students, scores have been rising.
“We’re excited about what we’re seeing in the lower elementary, that our kids seem to be coming in higher,” Mitchell said.