NW Georgia News

There were 387 Hispanic students enrolled in Walker County school in the 2022-23 school year, 11.9% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Data showed that Walker County welcomed 9,286 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 4.2% of the student body to be the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 18 schools in Walker County, Ridgeland High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 74 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
Rossville Elementary School	11%	43	398
Rossville Middle School	8%	35	446
Ridgeland High School	6%	74	1,249
Stone Creek Elementary School	6%	23	388
Fairyland Elementary School	6%	14	247
LaFayette High School	4%	44	1,124
LaFayette Middle School	4%	22	563
North LaFayette Elementary School	4%	15	379
Rock Spring Elementary School	4%	14	361
Naomi Elementary School	4%	11	292
Chickamauga Elementary School	3%	16	553
Cherokee Ridge Elementary	3%	16	542
Chattanooga Valley Middle School	3%	14	489
Gordon Lee Middle School	3%	9	311
Saddle Ridge Elementary and Middle School	2%	12	636
Gilbert Elementary School	2%	9	462
Chattanooga Valley Elementary School	2%	8	442
Gordon Lee High School	2%	8	404