Albany Standard

There were 1,276 first grade students enrolled in Tift County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 10.3% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Annie Belle Clark Elementary School welcomed the largest number of first grade students among county schools, registering 268 students during the 2022-23 school year.

Within Tift County schools, the highest student count was found in first grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in 12th grade.

Statewide, Tift County ranked 48th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 14,485 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 48th the year before.

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 1st Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Annie Belle Clark Elementary School	268	18.5%	1,448
G. O. Bailey Elementary School	182	18.2%	998
Matt Wilson Elementary School	166	22.1%	751
Northside Elementary School	158	19.6%	806
Len Lastinger Elementary School	147	17.5%	839
Charles Spencer Elementary School	125	19.3%	646
J. T. Reddick Elementary School	116	19.1%	606
Omega Elementary School	114	19.4%	588