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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

Atlanta SMART Academy

Public, Charter Grades 5-8

503^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 13% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Atlanta SMART Academy is a small, state specialty middle school in Atlanta, GA, serving 221 students in grades 5 through 8, where every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. This school stands out for its strong attendance record and some notable academic bright spots, even as overall test scores remain below state averages.

One of the most encouraging signs is the school’s progress on attendance. Chronic absenteeism has dropped sharply from 36.1% in 2023-2024 to 20.7% in the most recent year—far better than nearby schools like John Lewis Invictus Academy (54.0%) and Herman J. Russell West End Academy (data not shown), and only slightly behind KIPP Strive Charter School (15.7%). In math, 8th graders are showing real improvement, with 30.5% proficient—more than double the 7th-grade rate (11.9%) and competitive with Sylvan Hills Middle School (39.6%) and Betty Gray Middle School (32.4%). A subset of 8th graders also shows strength in high school physical science (30.4% proficient), though general 8th-grade science is a critical weakness at just 2.8%.

Spending here is notably lower than peers—$17,120 per student versus $25,279 at Ralph Bunche Middle School and $28,589 at Sylvan Hills—yet the school achieves comparable results in some areas. The student-teacher ratio is favorable at 11.3:1. While the school’s overall state ranking has dipped recently, the strong attendance and 8th-grade math gains suggest pockets of real progress. For parents, this is a school where students show up, and where upper-grade math is a growing strength, but where science and early-grade math need significant attention.

221

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,120

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2636 Martin Luther King Jr Dr
Atlanta, GA 30311

(470) 502-3110

District: State Specialty Schools II- Atlanta SMART Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.8%

Two or more races:

4.5%

Hispanic:

2.7%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 16th percentile in 2022 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (17% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!HS Physical Science scores 31 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg17%

Georgia avg42%

503^rd of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 3 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

187^th of 201State Specialty Schools II- Atlanta SMART Academy among Georgia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	15.4	503 of 578	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.4	431 of 585	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	420 of 578	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	447 of 569	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	469 of 558	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	364 of 480	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.5	275 of 494	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	259 of 489	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	281 of 485	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.6	324 of 482	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	20.5	445 of 550	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.0	387 of 567	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	338 of 558	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	399 of 553	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	507 of 550	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	482 of 569	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	472 of 561	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	464 of 559	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)24th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

HS Physical Science30%-31 vs state

Mathematics21%-22 vs state

Social Studies14%-27 vs state

Science3%-27 vs state

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Schools Near Atlanta SMART Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2026)	Milestones Assessment Biology (2026)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2026)	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Atlanta SMART Academy	Public, Charter	5-8	2636 Martin Luther King Jr Dr	Atlanta	30311	Fulton County	State Specialty Schools II- Atlanta SMART Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(470) 502-3110	221	20	11.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	205 (92.8%)	6 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.5%)	15.4	503^rd of 578 public middle schools	13.0%		26.4	431^st of 585 public middle schools	26.3%	72			15.4	11.9	30.5	2.8	13.6	30.4	$17,120		$17,120
Jean Childs Young Middle School	Public	6-8	3116 Benjamin E Mays Dr SW	Atlanta	30311	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 802-5900	657	50	13.1	100.0%	1 (0.2%)	585 (89.0%)	60 (9.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.9%)	9.6	549^th of 578 public middle schools	5.0%		11.9	544^th of 585 public middle schools	7.0%	5	26.2		11.1	8.9	10.6	10.7	6.2		$28,070	$1,790	$26,280
John Lewis Invictus Academy	Public	6-8	1890 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy	Atlanta	30318	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 802-6149	692	60	11.6	100.0%	2 (0.3%)	623 (90.0%)	54 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.6%)	16.8	487^th of 578 public middle schools	15.7%		10.4	552^nd of 585 public middle schools	5.6%	65	90.0	18.8	16.5	10.6	18.8	16.9	17.1		$27,310	$1,905	$25,405
Kipp Strive Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	1444 Lucile Ave SW	Atlanta	30310	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(404) 753-1530	312	24	12.8	96.2%	2 (0.6%)	302 (96.8%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	47.6	274^th of 578 public middle schools	52.6%		31	401^st of 585 public middle schools	31.5%	127			18.5	28.9	39.6	38.5	49.5		$22,282	$1,298	$20,984
KIPP WAYS Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	350 Temple St NW	Atlanta	30314	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(404) 475-1941	289	23	12.7	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	283 (97.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	24.7	431^st of 578 public middle schools	25.4%		13.6	534^th of 585 public middle schools	8.7%	103	58.3		16.3	17.4	35.2	22.8	15.9		$27,417	$2,745	$24,672
KIPP Soul Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	1445 Maynard Rd NW	Atlanta	30331	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(404) 324-6310	285	22	12.7	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	279 (97.9%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	23.2	442^nd of 578 public middle schools	23.5%		22.4	452^nd of 585 public middle schools	22.7%	10			21.9	24.7	32.0	10.7	18.6		$27,198	$2,358	$24,840
Herman J. Russell West End Academy	Public	6-8	765 Peeples St SW	Atlanta	30310	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 802-6800	342	39	8.8	100.0%	1 (0.3%)	331 (96.8%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22.5	447^th of 578 public middle schools	22.7%		14.4	521^st of 585 public middle schools	10.9%	74			9.4	21.0	18.3	21.6	30.1		$35,178	$1,901	$33,277
Sylvan Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	1461 Sylvan Rd SW	Atlanta	30310	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 802-6203	452	35	13.0	100.0%	1 (0.2%)	437 (96.7%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	26.8	419^th of 578 public middle schools	27.5%		17.1	492^nd of 585 public middle schools	15.9%	73	90.9		12.0	26.9	39.6	12.6	23.8	72.2	$28,589	$1,943	$26,645
Paul D. West Middle School	Public	6-8	2376 Headland Dr	East Point	30344	Fulton County	Fulton County	No	No	No	Yes	(470) 254-8130	814	70	11.6	100.0%	12 (1.5%)	455 (55.9%)	321 (39.4%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.2%)	18.9	470^th of 578 public middle schools	18.7%		21.8	458^th of 585 public middle schools	21.7%	12	52.0		17.8	16.1	15.1	17.2	23.1		$19,403	$1,747	$17,657
Ralph Bunche Middle School	Public	6-8	1925 Niskey Lake Rd SW	Atlanta	30331	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 802-6700	651	53	12.2	100.0%	2 (0.3%)	601 (92.3%)	32 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.2%)	13.2	520^th of 578 public middle schools	10.0%		14.7	519^th of 585 public middle schools	11.3%	1		80.0	12.1	9.1	20.9	13.8	8.7	58.8	$25,279	$1,498	$23,780

Frequently Asked Questions about Atlanta SMART Academy

What district is Atlanta SMART Academy in?

State Specialty Schools II- Atlanta SMART Academy

What is the racial makeup of Atlanta SMART Academy?

Students at Atlanta SMART Academy are 93% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Atlanta SMART Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 221 students attended Atlanta SMART Academy.

Is Atlanta SMART Academy a good school?

Atlanta SMART Academy ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Georgia middle schools.

Rate Atlanta SMART Academy!

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)Aug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

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.