Veterans Elementary School sees 498 African American students enroll for 2024-25

There were 498 African American students enrolled at Veterans Elementary School for the 2024-25 academic year, which marks a 7.3% decline compared with the prior year, state data from the Georgia Department of Education indicate.

Enrollment figures show Veterans Elementary School had a total of 665 students in 2024-25. African American students comprised 75% of the student population, representing the largest demographic at the school.

Located in Bibb County School District, Veterans Elementary is overseen from the district’s main office in Macon.

Out of all 34 schools in Bibb County School District, Westside High School reported the most African American students in the 2024-25 academic year at 804.

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

Chronic absenteeism continues to challenge Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students absent for at least 10% of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. In response, GaDOE introduced a statewide strategy featuring a real-time attendance dashboard, a public awareness campaign, and targeted supports aimed at high-need districts to improve daily attendance.

New legislation passed by Georgia lawmakers in 2025 updated school attendance laws, now prohibiting expulsions solely due to absenteeism. The changes also include new reporting mandates and better alignment with alternative diploma completion initiatives.

By 2026, Georgia’s average student-to-teacher ratio reached about 14:1, slightly outperforming the national average of 15:1.