Summary:
SLAM Academy of Atlanta is the sole school in the State Specialty Schools II- SLAM Academy of Atlanta district, a K-8 charter school in southwest Atlanta serving 238 students, with a high poverty rate (66.81% free/reduced lunch) and a student-teacher ratio of 17:1.
This school is on a clear upward trajectory. Its state ranking has improved dramatically over three years, jumping from the 19th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 30th percentile in 2024-2025, and now to the 39th percentile in 2025-2026—a 20-point gain that earned it a 2-star rating. The standout subject is 4th grade math, where students have outperformed the state average in both recent test cycles (66.7% proficient in 2024-2025 and 51.3% in 2025-2026). However, the school faces significant challenges in middle school. Math proficiency plummets from 51.3% in 4th grade to just 8.3% in 6th grade and 15.8% in 7th grade, a drop of over 30 points compared to state averages. The most critical weakness is 8th grade social studies, where only 6.7% of students are proficient—33.5 points below the state average. Chronic absenteeism is also a major concern, with 36.7% of students chronically absent, more than double the state rate of 17.7%.
Despite these gaps, the school's improvement trend suggests interventions are working. Per-student spending is relatively high at $14,504, providing resources that could be better targeted toward middle school math and social studies. Last year's English Language Arts (ELA) scores showed gaps of 6 to 25 points below state averages, with 5th grade being the weakest. The upcoming December ELA release will be crucial to see if literacy gains mirror the math improvements. For parents, this school offers strong early elementary math instruction and a positive overall direction, but the middle school years—particularly 6th through 8th grade—require careful attention, especially given the high absenteeism rate that likely compounds academic struggles.
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