North Harlem Elementary School reports 149 African American students enrolled for 2024-25

In the 2024-25 school year, North Harlem Elementary School reported enrolling 149 African American students, a 9.6% increase over the prior year, Georgia Department of Education data show.

The school’s total enrollment reached 877 students, with African American students comprising 17% of the population, making them the second-largest demographic at the school.

Located within the Columbia County Public Schools district, North Harlem Elementary is supported by a central office in Evans.

Grovetown High School had the district’s highest number of African American students enrolled in 2024-25, totaling 968 students out of 30 Columbia County schools.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that Georgia’s public schools enrolled roughly 36.4% Black, 35.9% white, 18.1% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4.6% multiracial, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Pacific Islander students.

Chronic absenteeism continued to affect Georgia schools after the pandemic, with 20.7% of students missing at least 10% of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. The department responded by starting a statewide campaign, featuring a real-time attendance dashboard and targeted initiatives to improve attendance rates in high-need districts.

In 2025, Georgia lawmakers passed new attendance legislation prohibiting expulsion based solely on absenteeism. The revised law also requires greater reporting and connects to alternative diploma programs for students.

Data from 2026 show the average student-to-teacher ratio in Georgia was about 14:1, a figure lower than the national average of 15:1.