Paulding, Carroll Schools Honored For Better Student Performance

PAULDING COUNTY, GA — The Georgia Department of Education is releasing the 2020-21 list of Reward Schools — the Title I schools making the most progress in improving student performance.

This year, 157 schools in 77 school districts were identified as Reward Schools. One Paulding County school and four in Carroll County were part of the list:

Paulding County

• New Georgia Elementary School, Villa Rica

Carroll County

• Bay Springs Middle School, Villa Rica
• Bowdon Middle School, Bowdon
• Temple Middle School, Temple
• Villa Rica Middle, Temple

"While we are focused on ensuring all schools have the support and resources they need to continuously improve, it is incredibly important that we also recognize and celebrate when schools are doing well," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a news release. "I wish to congratulate the staff and students of this year's Reward Schools — during a time of challenges, they have worked hard and they have succeeded."

A Reward School is among the 5 percent of Title I schools in Georgia that is making the most progress in improving the performance of all students over the most recent two years on the statewide assessments. Because assessments were not administered in the 2019-20 school year, this year's list is based on 2018-19 and 2019-20 data.

A school may not be classified as a Title I Reward School if it is also identified for Targeted Support and Improvement or Comprehensive Support and Improvement.

Title I is a federal education program supporting low-income students, with funds distributed to high-needs schools. Those schools are determined by the number of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

View the 2020-21 Reward Schools online.