African American students accounted for 22% of Arcado Elementary School’s enrollment in 2024-25

Reports from the Georgia Department of Education indicate Arcado Elementary School had 197 African American students enrolled during the 2024-25 school year, reflecting a 7.9% decrease from the prior year.

The school’s overall enrollment reached 896 students for 2024-25. African American students composed 22% of the population, which made them the third-largest demographic group at the school.

Arcado Elementary is part of the Gwinnett County School District, whose central office is located in Lawrenceville.

Within the Gwinnett County School District’s 140 schools, Grayson High School had the largest number of African American students in the 2024-25 school year, enrolling 2,089 individuals.

Georgia public schools registered more than 1.7 million students, 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%). Middle schools recorded 388,733 students (22.7%), and high schools had 539,092 students (31.4%).

Chronic absenteeism remains a significant issue for Georgia schools following the pandemic. In 2024, 20.7% of students missed at least 10% of school days, the Georgia Department of Education reports. To address this, GaDOE rolled out several efforts statewide, including a real-time attendance dashboard, a public awareness campaign, and targeted support for high-need districts to improve attendance rates.

Georgia legislators updated school attendance laws in 2025 to prohibit expulsion based only on absenteeism. The new law also introduces additional reporting obligations and coordinates with existing programs allowing students to complete diplomas through alternative pathways. More details are available here.

By 2026, Georgia’s average student-teacher ratio reached about 14:1, surpassing the national average of 15:1.