On the northern edge of Georgia, where the Hiawassee River rushes out of the Smoky Mountains, natural beauty keeps close company with human poverty. A winding, hour-long drive from the nearest interstate highway, Towns County is one of Georgia's poorest and most isolated localities, where the average annual wage is $19,656, and 38% of schoolkids qualify for a subsidized lunch. Yet the county also boasts one of the best-wired middle schools in the U.S.
As yellow buses deposit their passengers at the Towns County Comprehensive School, serving students in pre-K through grade 12, you can instantly tell which are the middle...
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