In the 2024-25 school year, Dames Ferry Elementary enrolled 27 multiracial students, marking an 80% increase over the prior year, reports the Georgia Department of Education.
Dames Ferry Elementary’s total enrollment stood at 545 students, with multiracial students making up 5% of the population and ranking as the third-largest demographic at the school.
The school is part of the Jones County School District, which is headquartered in Gray.
Of the seven schools in the Jones County School District, Jones County High School had the largest multiracial student enrollment in 2024-25, registering 63 students.
Georgia’s public schools had more than 1.7 million enrolled students, according to the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 report. Most students attended elementary grades at 787,206 (45.9%), while 388,733 (22.7%) were in middle school, and 539,092 (31.4%) were in high school.
The issue of chronic absenteeism persists in Georgia schools following the pandemic; 20.7% of students missed at least 10% of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. In an effort to improve daily attendance, GaDOE rolled out a statewide initiative with a real-time attendance dashboard, a public awareness campaign, and targeted support for high-need districts.
Georgia lawmakers passed a bill in 2025 to revise attendance laws prohibiting expulsion based solely on absenteeism. The updated law also brings in new reporting requirements and supports programs that offer alternative diploma paths for students.
For 2026, Georgia’s average student-to-teacher ratio was about 14:1, which is lower than the U.S. average of 15:1.
| School Year | Total Enrollment | Total multiracial students | % of multiracial students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 680 | 20 | 3% |
| 2011-12 | 644 | 19 | 3% |
| 2012-13 | 599 | 17 | 3% |
| 2013-14 | 607 | 18 | 3% |
| 2014-15 | 538 | 16 | 3% |
| 2015-16 | 595 | 17 | 3% |
| 2016-17 | 578 | 23 | 4% |
| 2017-18 | 590 | 23 | 4% |
| 2018-19 | 536 | 21 | 4% |
| 2019-20 | 564 | 28 | 5% |
| 2020-21 | 556 | 22 | 4% |
| 2021-22 | 539 | 21 | 4% |
| 2022-23 | 535 | 10 | 2% |
| 2023-24 | 532 | 15 | 3% |
| 2024-25 | 545 | 27 | 5% |
