Bethune Middle School enrolls 287 white students for 2024-25, the district’s highest

For the 2024-25 school year, Bethune Middle School enrolled 287 white students, which represents a 0.7% increase from the prior year, reports the Georgia Department of Education.

Bethune Middle School recorded a total enrollment of 449 students in the 2024-25 school year. White students comprised 64% of the population, making them the predominant group at the school.

The school operates within the Charlton County School District, whose main office is in Folkston.

Out of the four schools in Charlton County School District, Bethune Middle School had the largest number of white students in the 2024-25 school year, totaling 287 students.

In total, Georgia public schools enrolled more than 1.7 million students, based on the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 report. Most were in elementary grades with 787,206 students (45.9%), followed by 388,733 in middle schools (22.7%) and 539,092 in high schools (31.4%).

Chronic absenteeism continues to challenge Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing 10% or more days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. The department initiated a statewide response effort using a real-time attendance dashboard, raising public awareness, and providing additional support to districts with greater needs to improve attendance rates.

In 2025, Georgia’s legislature passed an update to school attendance laws that prohibits expelling students solely for absenteeism. The update also imposes new reporting standards and incorporates pathways for students to earn diplomas through alternative means.

By 2026, Georgia schools averaged a student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 14:1, an improvement over the national average of 15:1.