African American enrollment accounted for 81% of New Manchester Elementary School in 2024-25

Reports from the Georgia Department of Education show that New Manchester Elementary School enrolled 679 African American students for the 2024-25 school year, reflecting a decrease of 0.7% compared to the prior year.

The school’s total enrollment during this period was 839 students. African American students made up 81% of the population, maintaining their status as the majority group within the school.

New Manchester Elementary is part of Douglas County School District, headquartered in Douglasville.

Of the district’s 35 schools, New Manchester High School had the most African American students enrolled in 2024-25, with 1,422 students.

According to the Georgia Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2026-1 report, more than 1.7 million students attended public schools across Georgia. Elementary grades had the largest group with 787,206 students (45.9%), followed by 388,733 in middle school (22.7%) and 539,092 in high school (31.4%).

The state continues to address significant chronic absenteeism since the pandemic ended, with 20.7% of students missing at least 10% of school days in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Education. The GaDOE responded with a comprehensive initiative featuring a real-time attendance dashboard, an awareness campaign, and targeted aid for districts with higher needs to improve daily attendance.

Georgia lawmakers implemented legislation in 2025 to update school attendance policy, now prohibiting expulsion for absenteeism alone. It also requires additional reporting and works in concert with programs offering alternative diploma pathways for students. Details are available here.

For 2026, the average student-teacher ratio statewide is approximately 14:1, which surpasses the national average of 15:1.