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7.1avg / 10

Cherokee County School District

School District · Canton, Georgia

Students: 42,016
Teachers (FTE): 2,952

Avg Rating

7.1

out of 10

Schools

37

23 elem, 7 mid, 7 high

Enrollment

42,016

Student-Teacher Ratio

14.2:1

How this district compares

Georgia rank

#30 of 179

districts by avg. composite

Vs. state average

+0.8

above Georgia avg

Per-pupil spending

$13,292

$836 vs Georgia median

District size

42,016 students

Much larger than Georgia median

The short answer

Cherokee County ranks #30 of 179 Georgia districts by overall school rating. Cherokee County's schools with real test data average 7.1/10 across 37 schools. Its top-rated schools are Clayton Elementary School (9.1/10), Arnold Mill Elementary School (8.7/10), and Mountain Road Elementary School (8.4/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds
Clayton Elementary School

Rates 9.1/10 despite 46% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.1 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Cherokee County schools.

Most improved · 2022 → 2024
River Ridge High School

STAAR proficiency rose +12.1 points from 2022 to 2024. That's the biggest jump among Cherokee County schools across the two most recent comparable testing years.

Top-Rated Schools in Cherokee County

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (37 of 37). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#SchoolRating
1Clayton Elementary School9.1 / 10
2Arnold Mill Elementary School8.7 / 10
3Mountain Road Elementary School8.4 / 10
4Hickory Flat Elementary School8.2 / 10
5J. Knox Elementary8.1 / 10
6Creekview High School7.9 / 10
7Woodstock Middle School7.9 / 10
8Woodstock High School7.8 / 10
9Mill Creek Middle School7.7 / 10
10Clark Creek Elementary School7.7 / 10

See all 37 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

About Cherokee County

Cherokee County School District serves 42,016 students across 37 ranked schools in Georgia, making it one of the larger suburban districts in the state. The district's size means families have real choices when it comes to finding the right school fit, with options spanning a range of academic profiles and grade configurations.

Districtwide, schools average a 6.3 out of 10, a solid baseline that reflects consistent performance across a large, diverse set of campuses. That average, however, undersells what the top tier looks like. Clayton Elementary School leads the district with an 8.4 out of 10, placing it among the strongest elementary programs in the region. William G. Hasty Sr. Elementary and J. Knox Elementary both score 8.2, followed closely by Ball Ground Elementary at 8.0 and Carmel Elementary at 7.9. Five of the district's top performers are elementary schools, which signals particular strength at the foundational level — an important factor for parents with younger children planning their long-term school path.

The concentration of high-scoring elementary schools suggests Cherokee County invests meaningfully in early education. Parents relocating to the area or choosing between attendance zones should pay close attention to elementary assignments, since several campuses score well above the district average. The gap between the top schools and the 6.3 mean also means location within the county can significantly affect a child's day-to-day academic environment.

With 37 ranked schools and a district of more than 42,000 students, Cherokee County has the scale to offer varied programming while maintaining enough community ties to keep individual schools from feeling anonymous. Families comparing districts should note that the upper range of school scores here is competitive, but the districtwide average of 6.3 suggests performance is uneven across campuses. Doing school-level research — rather than relying on district reputation alone — is the most reliable way to find the best fit. MySchoolScout's individual school pages for Cherokee County provide ratings, peer comparisons, and enrollment data to help narrow the search.

District Map

Schools in Cherokee County, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.

District Average Test Scores

Math Proficiency64.5%
School
State
Not reported
ELA Proficiency64.6%
School
State
Not reported

Average proficiency across all schools in Cherokee County with test data.

District Details

State
Georgia
City
Canton
Total Enrollment
42,016
Teachers (FTE)
2,952
District spending per student
$13,292NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
Child poverty rate
5.7%Census SAIPE · 2024
District directory year
2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Cherokee County?

Cherokee County has 37 schools in total — 23 elementary, 7 middle, and 7 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.

What is the average rating for Cherokee County?

The average composite rating for Cherokee County is 7.1/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.

What is the district spending per student in Cherokee County?

Cherokee County's district-level spending was $13,292 per student in fiscal year 2023, according to NCES F-33. This is district context, not an individual-school expense.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Cherokee County?

The average student-teacher ratio in Cherokee County is 14.2:1.

What is the top-rated school in Cherokee County?

Clayton Elementary School is the highest-rated school in Cherokee County with a composite score of 9.1/10.

What are the test scores in Cherokee County?

Across schools in Cherokee County with test data, the average math proficiency is 64.5% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 64.6%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

How does Cherokee County compare to other districts in Georgia?

Cherokee County has an average school rating of 7.1/10 across 37 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in Georgia by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools?

MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.

District Averages

Overall Rating
7.1/10
Math Proficiency
64.5%
ELA Proficiency
64.6%

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Georgia Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.

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