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Best Public Schools in Atlanta, GA


At a glance
127
Schools
87,182
Students
16
Districts
10
5-star schools
Top rankedSpringdale Park Elementary School8th of 1,219 Georgia elementary schools
Biggest riser
Miles Elementary School up 302 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Heritage Academy Elementary School 7.3 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
3★
2★
1★
0★
11 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

Atlanta, Georgia is home to 139 public schools spanning elementary, middle, high, and alternative programs across districts like Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb County, Fulton County, and Cobb County, serving a diverse urban and suburban population.

For parents, the standout academic performers are clear. Kittredge Magnet School leads with near-perfect proficiency rates—100% in 4th-grade math—while Springdale Park Elementary School and Heards Ferry Elementary School rank in the 99th percentile statewide. Among middle schools, David T. Howard Middle School posts a 98.9% Algebra I proficiency rate, and Charles Drew Charter Ja/Senior Academy shines at the high school level with a 98.2% graduation rate. Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy achieves a perfect 100% graduation rate. At the other end, schools like Frederick Douglass High School and Carver High School struggle with chronic absenteeism above 53% and proficiency rates in the single digits.

Key takeaways: poverty strongly correlates with lower scores, yet exceptions like Resurgence Hall Middle Academy (75.6% free/reduced lunch, 82.7% math proficiency) prove progress is possible. Virtual schools such as Georgia Cyber Academy underperform traditional schools. High per-student spending doesn't guarantee results—B.E.S.T Academy spends $43,336 per student yet ranks only in the 56th percentile. Notable improvement stories include Booker T. Washington High School, jumping from the 8th to 50th percentile. Geographic disparities persist, with north Atlanta schools outperforming south and west Atlanta, and a "middle school slide" shows proficiency drops from elementary to middle school. Note: current ELA scores are not yet released; they arrive in December.

Showing the top 100 of 127 schools. Load all 127 schools.
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Atlanta

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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