Athens Reporter

There were 274 Hispanic students enrolled in Oglethorpe County school in the 2022-23 school year, 7% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Data showed that Oglethorpe County welcomed 2,184 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 12.6% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the four schools in Oglethorpe County, Oglethorpe County High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 97 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 name	% of Hispanic Students	Total Hispanic Students	Total enrollment
Oglethorpe County High School	15%	97	651
Oglethorpe County Elementary School	13%	63	488
Oglethorpe County Middle School	12%	63	526
Oglethorpe County Primary School	10%	51	519