M. D. Roberts Middle School sees 142 Hispanic students enrolled for 2024-25

M. D. Roberts Middle School enrolled 142 Hispanic students for the 2024-25 school year, reflecting a 6% decline from the prior year, reports the Georgia Department of Education.

Data indicated total student enrollment at M. D. Roberts Middle School reached 888 for the 2024-25 school year. Hispanic students represented 16% of the student population, making them the second-largest demographic group at the school.

The school, part of Clayton County School District, has its central office located in Jonesboro.

Of the 65 schools in Clayton County School District, Forest Park High School had the largest enrollment of Hispanic students in 2024-25, totaling 882 students.

Georgia’s public school student population exceeded 1.7 million, according to the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 report. Enrollment was highest at the elementary level with 787,206 students (45.9%), followed by middle school at 388,733 students (22.7%), and high school at 539,092 students (31.4%).

Chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge in Georgia schools following the pandemic, with 20.7% of students absent for 10% or more school days in 2024, the Georgia Department of Education reports. The GaDOE responded with a statewide initiative that includes a real-time attendance dashboard, a public outreach campaign, and targeted support for the districts with the greatest needs to increase daily attendance.

In 2025, Georgia lawmakers approved a bill updating attendance laws to prohibit expulsion solely because of absenteeism. The legislation also introduced new reporting rules and matches students with programs offering alternative diploma pathways.

In 2026, Georgia’s student-to-teacher ratio averaged about 14:1, which compares favorably to the national average of 15:1.