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Birney Elementary School

Q: Is Birney Elementary School a good school?

Birney Elementary School ranks 819 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

819^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Birney Elementary School in Marietta, GA, serves approximately 725 students in grades PK through 5 within the Cobb County School District, a district ranked in the top third of Georgia. The school has shown a clear upward trend over the past several years, climbing from the 14th percentile in 2018-2019 to its highest position yet—the 33rd percentile—in the most recent rankings. This improvement is especially encouraging given that 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school invests heavily in its students with per-pupil spending of $20,706 and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.8:1.

One of the most compelling stories at Birney is its dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism, which has dropped from 26.6% in 2021-2022 to 17.4% in the latest year—now below the state average. This improvement outpaces several nearby schools, including Sanders Elementary School (20.8%) and Russell Elementary School (18.2%). Academically, 4th grade math stands out as a genuine bright spot, with 44.1% proficiency—the school's strongest subject-grade combination and a notable improvement from 38.3% two years ago. Birney also shows relative strength with Hispanic students, ranking in the 52nd percentile statewide for that subgroup, which is significantly higher than its overall ranking.

However, challenges remain. Science proficiency in 5th grade (22.7%) is less than half the district rate, and 3rd grade math (28.7%) lags well behind the district average of 53.6%. A striking comparison emerges with Dunleith Elementary School, just 2.79 miles away in the Marietta City district, which serves a similarly high-need population yet has surged to the 74th percentile with dramatically higher math and science scores—despite nearly identical per-student spending. This suggests that while Birney is making meaningful progress, particularly in attendance and 4th grade math, the school still has room to grow in closing the gap with its highest-performing neighbors.

725

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,706

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

775 Smyrna Powder Springs Rd
Marietta, GA 30060

(678) 842-6824

District: Cobb County

Students who attend Birney Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Osborne High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.4%

African American:

40.8%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Birney Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

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.

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (34% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 21 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg53%

Georgia avg47%

819^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

53^rd of 64Elementary Schools in the Cobb County

58^th of 201Cobb County 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	30.9	819 of 1219	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.7	781 of 1238	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	815 of 1236	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.1	925 of 1223	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	881 of 1220	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	980 of 1214	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.3	1060 of 1234	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	1051 of 1209	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.2	987 of 1205	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.5	962 of 1233	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.9	931 of 1240	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.9	1012 of 1231	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.8	994 of 1225	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.5	968 of 1201	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.5	936 of 1212	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.0	834 of 1183	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.7	844 of 1133	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.2	891 of 1134	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	24.2	939 of 1125	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.4	989 of 1101	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	34.1	546 of 828	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.5	449 of 892	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	561 of 879	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	674 of 870	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.5	494 of 876	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	123 of 317	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	77 of 304	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	34.8	193 of 286	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.7	121 of 283	57.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	36.2	723 of 1186	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.1	823 of 1224	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	844 of 1223	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.7	944 of 1212	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	818 of 1206	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	46.7	241 of 503	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.2	287 of 583	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.4	273 of 565	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.7	378 of 535	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.9	386 of 516	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	855 of 1183	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.7	729 of 1225	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	779 of 1220	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.7	907 of 1210	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	911 of 1209	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	21.5	470 of 565	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.4	262 of 487	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)61st percentile+24 vs school

Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)34th percentile~ school

Male (2026)28th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)17th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics37%-10 vs state

Science23%-21 vs state

4.5

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★2

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, July 23, 2017

The teachers and staff are extremely caring and hard working. The students are getting a great education! The test scores are deceiving children get out of school what the parents put into it and them. We are pleased with the school overall. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Our girls started at Birney last year. Our youngest is in Pre-K Special Ed and her teacher is dynamite. She is loving yet firm with the kids. A nice healthy balance. She gets to know the students based on their strengths and teaches accordingly. She is available to meet to address any concerns. Our daughter also receives therapy (PT,OT and SPCH). I believe the therapist are equipped and personable. Our other daughter started Kindergarten last year and her teacher was dynamite as well. Very active with the students in curriculum and creativity. I spent a lot of time in her classroom volunteering and the students were well behaved and sharp.

Most of the staff I have met are friendly. I cannot say enough good things about the Principal. He seems to be very hands on and involved. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, August 6, 2010

great with children Close Quote

Schools Near Birney Elementary School

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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 Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment 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	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Birney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	775 Smyrna Powder Springs Rd	Marietta	30060	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-6824	725	67	10.8	100.0%	20 (2.8%)	296 (40.8%)	351 (48.4%)	15 (2.1%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.0%)	30.9	819^th of 1219 public elementary schools	32.8%		33.7	781^st of 1238 public elementary schools	36.9%	38	28.7	44.1	40.2	22.7	$20,706	$875	$19,832
Milford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2390 Austell Rd SW	Marietta	30008	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-6966	389	41	9.6	99.0%	17 (4.4%)	116 (29.8%)	240 (61.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	40	670^th of 1219 public elementary schools	45.0%		30.1	833^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	32.7%	163	52.9	51.8	26.6	20.0	$22,204	$832	$21,372
Norton Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3041 Gray Rd SE	Smyrna	30082	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-5833	643	63	10.1	100.0%	33 (5.1%)	181 (28.1%)	390 (60.7%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.5%)	33.8	773^rd of 1219 public elementary schools	36.6%		21.8	975^th of 1238 public elementary schools	21.2%	202	35.1	36.7	38.1	33.7	$20,973	$919	$20,054
Russell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3920 S Hurt Rd SW	Smyrna	30082	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 437-5937	568	53	10.6	94.9%	40 (7.0%)	195 (34.3%)	296 (52.1%)	9 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.8%)	25.3	901^st of 1219 public elementary schools	26.1%		25.5	920^th of 1238 public elementary schools	25.7%	19	27.1	32.8	36.0	27.0	$19,402	$810	$18,592
LaBelle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	230 Cresson Dr SW	Marietta	30060	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-6955	339	38	8.8	100.0%	16 (4.7%)	58 (17.1%)	248 (73.2%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.5%)	26	891^st of 1219 public elementary schools	26.9%		24.6	932^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	24.7%	41	33.4	31.6	34.4	25.9	$24,614	$938	$23,676
Hollydale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2901 Bay Berry Dr SW	Marietta	30008	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 594-8143	526	59	8.8	100.0%	47 (8.9%)	123 (23.4%)	321 (61.0%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.8%)	17.6	1035^th of 1219 public elementary schools	15.1%		25	929^th of 1238 public elementary schools	25.0%	106	27.0	32.1	23.3	21.5	$22,472	$846	$21,626
International Academy of Smyrna	Public, Charter	K-5	2144 S Cobb Dr SE	Smyrna	30080	Cobb County	State Specialty Schools II- International Academy of Smyrna	Yes	No	No	Yes	(678) 370-0980	328	28	11.7	100.0%	3 (0.9%)	206 (62.8%)	98 (29.9%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.6%)	27.6	866^th of 1219 public elementary schools	29.0%		33.8	778^th of 1238 public elementary schools	37.2%	88	28.1	39.0	23.3	36.6	$16,103	$1,545	$14,558
Belmont Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	605 Glendale Pl SE	Smyrna	30080	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 842-6810	267	33	8.0	100.0%	10 (3.7%)	44 (16.5%)	201 (75.3%)	5 (1.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	32	802^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	34.2%		19.9	997^th of 1238 public elementary schools	19.5%	195	59.5	36.2	18.4	13.2	$25,908	$854	$25,054
Sanders Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1550 Anderson Mill Rd	Austell	30106	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 819-2568	626	54	11.5	100.0%	24 (3.8%)	353 (56.4%)	220 (35.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	34.6	758^th of 1219 public elementary schools	37.8%		36.4	733^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	40.8%	25	35.0	29.1	41.7	37.0	$20,076	$909	$19,168
Dunleith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	120 Saine Dr SW	Marietta	30008	Cobb County	Marietta City	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 429-3190	554	54	10.2	82.9%	30 (5.4%)	248 (44.8%)	246 (44.4%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.2%)	70.6	317^th of 1219 public elementary schools	74.0%		66.4	371^st of 1238 public elementary schools	70.0%	54	54.1	58.2	52.3	54.6	$20,844	$571	$20,274

Frequently Asked Questions about Birney Elementary School

How many students attend Birney Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 725 students attended Birney Elementary School.

What district is Birney Elementary School in?

Cobb County

Is Birney Elementary School a good school?

Birney Elementary School ranks 819^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Birney Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Birney Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Osborne High School

What is the racial makeup of Birney Elementary School?

Students at Birney Elementary School are 48% Hispanic, 41% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% White, 2% Asian.

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)NewAug 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.