Athens Reporter

There were 174 Black students enrolled in Commerce City School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 29.9% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Data showed that Commerce City School District welcomed 1,744 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 10% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the district.

Among the four schools in Commerce City School District, Commerce Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 52 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	1,744	174	10%
2021-22	1,686	134	8%
2020-21	1,639	147	9%
2019-20	1,622	145	9%
2018-19	1,614	177	11%
2017-18	1,575	173	11%
2016-17	1,528	183	12%
2015-16	1,507	180	12%
2014-15	1,463	175	12%
2013-14	1,419	170	12%
2012-13	1,429	171	12%
2011-12	1,404	182	13%
2010-11	1,407	168	12%