Athens Reporter

There were 2,145 Black students enrolled in Barrow County School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 10.5% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Data showed that Barrow County School District welcomed 14,303 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 15% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the district.

Among the 16 schools in Barrow County School District, Apalachee High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 335 students.

While enrollment in Georgia inches closer to pre-pandemic levels, chronic absenteeism remains a serious challenge. In 2023, a significant portion of students (23%) missed 10% or more of their classes. Although this is slightly better than the peak of 25% in 2022, it's still nearly double the pre-pandemic rate of 13% recorded in 2019.

School Year	Total enrollment	Total Black Students	% of Black Students
2022-23	14,303	2,145	15%
2021-22	13,877	1,942	14%
2020-21	13,625	1,907	14%
2019-20	13,731	1,922	14%
2018-19	13,488	1,753	13%
2017-18	13,344	1,734	13%
2016-17	13,084	1,700	13%
2015-16	12,905	1,677	13%
2014-15	12,973	1,686	13%
2013-14	12,805	1,536	12%
2012-13	12,591	1,510	12%
2011-12	12,446	1,617	13%
2010-11	12,309	1,600	13%