VALDOSTA — A state agency has compiled a list of the lowest-performing schools in Georgia — and three Valdosta schools made the list.

Newbern Middle School, S.L. Mason Elementary School and W.G. Nunn Elementary School were all named in the Georgia Promise Scholarship Public School List, issued by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act requires the student achievement office to build a list of the schools making up the lowest-achieving 25% of public schools each year. The data is used in running a scholarship program that offers eligible families in low-scoring public schools the use of state funds to move their children to private schools.

“The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement … was tasked with implementing the criteria for identifying schools for this list,” a statement from Valdosta City Schools said. “ The formulas have been created and changed several times since this voucher plan was signed into law. Currently, GOSA has devised a method of calculating a single score average from the 2023 and 2024 CCRPI components. The CCRPI components were not designed to determine a single score, but single scores have been created for this purpose. Schools that fell below a certain score were placed on the list.”

Simply being placed on the list does not mean the schools are failing, the statement said.

At the three Valdosta schools on the list, teachers are receiving comprehensive training on new standards and instructional strategies, as well as in the science of reading, the school system said.

A “Wildcats on Wheels” bus is bringing books to the students, while struggling readers are receiving extra support ranging from small-group lessons to one-on-one support and specialized programs, the statement said.

Information about the state’s private-school voucher option is available at mygeorgiapromise.org.. The program is run independently of local school boards.

Other South Georgia schools placed on the list include:

• Berrien County – Berrien High School.
• Brooks County — Brooks County Middle School and Quitman Elementary School.
• Tift County — Northside Elementary School.