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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.

Brighten Academy

Q: Is Brighten Academy a good school?

Brighten Academy ranks 849 th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

849^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Brighten Academy is a K-8 charter school in Douglasville, GA, serving 812 students within the Douglas County school district. This school stands out for its excellent attendance record and a notably strong middle school program, though recent test scores show a significant dip that families will want to watch closely.

One of the school's biggest strengths is that kids show up. Only 9.3% of students are chronically absent—less than half the district rate of 22.1% and well below the state average of 17.7%. Academically, the middle school shines, especially in advanced math. In 2025-2026, 62.6% of students scored proficient or above on the Algebra I end-of-course exam, beating both the district (47.3%) and state (48.1%) by about 15 points. Eighth-grade science has also consistently outperformed state averages for three straight years, and middle school English Language Arts has historically been strong (though this year's ELA scores won't be released until December). The school also operates efficiently, spending about $10,490 per student—roughly 30-40% less than nearby schools like North Douglas Elementary ($14,663) or Sweetwater Elementary ($14,994)—while still achieving comparable results in several areas.

However, there are concerns. The school's overall state ranking has fallen from the 77th percentile a decade ago to the 31st percentile this year, its lowest point in ten years. The 2025-2026 data shows sharp drops in 8th-grade math (from 44.8% to 21.5% proficient), science (48.3% to 26.6%), and social studies (35.6% to 15.2%) compared to the prior year. Elementary math also trails state averages by 5-15 points. While the school outperforms nearby Eastside Elementary (14th percentile) and Burnett Elementary (10th percentile), it underperforms schools like Beulah Elementary (41st percentile) and Bright Star Elementary (48th percentile). The recent decline could be a temporary cohort effect or a sign of deeper challenges—the next few years will be telling.

812

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,496

Per pupil spending ?

34.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

5897 Prestley Mill Rd
Douglasville, GA 30135

(770) 615-3680

District: Douglas County

Racial breakdown:

African American:

72.4%

White:

10.8%

Hispanic:

8.6%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Brighten Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (29% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 46 percentile points since 2016

!Social Studies scores 25 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg37%

Georgia avg44%

Elementary school

849^th of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 46 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

407^th of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 52 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Douglas County

110^th of 202Douglas 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	849 of 1222	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.5	600 of 1238	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	535 of 1236	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	561 of 1223	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	466 of 1220	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	647 of 1214	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.6	461 of 1234	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.9	287 of 1209	76.3%	★★★★☆
2017	68.0	337 of 1205	72.0%	★★★★☆
2016	73.5	285 of 1233	76.9%	★★★★☆
2015	71.6	298 of 1240	76.0%	★★★★☆
2014	69.0	418 of 1231	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	82.2	141 of 1225	88.5%	★★★★☆
2012	81.3	166 of 1201	86.2%	★★★★☆
2011	69.5	406 of 1212	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	77.3	241 of 1183	79.6%	★★★★☆
2009	75.9	227 of 1133	80.0%	★★★★☆
2008	85.1	105 of 1134	90.7%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	419 of 829	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.1	258 of 892	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	224 of 879	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	236 of 870	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	205 of 876	76.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	836 of 1189	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	51.5	542 of 1224	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	490 of 1223	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	493 of 1212	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	438 of 1206	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	826 of 1186	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.8	659 of 1225	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.2	597 of 1220	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.8	689 of 1210	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.5	503 of 1209	58.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2024	61.1	294 of 772	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.2	262 of 779	66.4%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	407 of 578	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	59.5	210 of 585	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.2	197 of 578	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.3	164 of 569	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	73.8	129 of 558	76.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.6	159 of 542	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.7	113 of 559	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.0	67 of 543	87.7%	★★★★☆
2017	84.2	69 of 539	87.2%	★★★★☆
2016	77.7	99 of 545	81.8%	★★★★☆
2015	81.5	87 of 537	83.8%	★★★★☆
2014	77.9	72 of 521	86.2%	★★★★☆
2013	71.0	140 of 527	73.4%	★★★★☆
2012	78.5	73 of 508	85.6%	★★★★☆
2011	74.2	110 of 504	78.2%	★★★★☆
2010	77.2	80 of 494	83.8%	★★★★☆
2009	75.2	88 of 466	81.1%	★★★★☆
2008	79.5	69 of 462	85.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	277 of 480	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	69.5	106 of 494	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.3	109 of 489	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	64 of 485	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	84.4	54 of 482	88.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	34.0	357 of 550	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.7	197 of 567	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.6	188 of 558	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.4	177 of 553	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.8	134 of 544	75.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	437 of 550	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	54.8	227 of 569	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	222 of 561	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	154 of 559	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	74.5	119 of 553	78.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	64.0	134 of 429	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.4	97 of 425	77.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

White (2024)62nd percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)49th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)30th percentile~ school

Female (2026)30th percentile~ school

Middle school

White (2023)69th percentile~ school

African American (2026)42nd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)35th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I63%+15 vs state

Mathematics32%-13 vs state

Science23%-15 vs state

Social Studies15%-25 vs state

2.8

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Good just get rid of the politics and favoritism give all kids a fair change Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Brighten Academy has gone downhill since the expansion and move to the new building. This past year, top administrators called the school a "business". Those words had never been used before to describe the mission of the school. After the second death threat in my daughters 4th and 5th grades, respectively, we removed her and our younger son to the school we are districted for. After 5 years at the school we had had enough. Test scores are down. Violence is way up. Class sizes are NOT as stated on here, but more along the lines of 24-30 per class and they still keep adding new students every month. It's so sad to see how far this once good school has fallen. Close Quote

Schools Near Brighten 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 Mathematics (2026)						Milestones Assessment Science (2026)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Brighten Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5897 Prestley Mill Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	Yes	No	No	No	(770) 615-3680	812	48	17.0	34.9%	88 (10.8%)	588 (72.4%)	70 (8.6%)	15 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (6.0%)	29.1	849^th of 1222 public elementary schools	30.5%		47.5	600^th of 1238 public elementary schools	51.5%	249	62.6	37.3	39.8	34.3	25.6	30.0	21.5	20.2	26.6	15.2	$10,496		$10,496
Eastside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8266 Connally Dr	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3800	433	28	15.7	91.5%	24 (5.5%)	255 (58.9%)	116 (26.8%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (7.4%)	16.5	1055^th of 1222 public elementary schools	13.7%		29	855^th of 1238 public elementary schools	30.9%	200		19.5	28.4	27.2				22.7			$15,377	$1,907	$13,471
Zest Preparatory Academy School	Public, Charter	K-5	3130 Golf Ridge Blv	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	State Specialty Schools II- Zest Preparatory Academy School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(770) 462-9051	209	14	14.9	42.6%	0 (0.0%)	179 (85.6%)	17 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.2%)								(n/a)		46.7	22.2								$14,202	$644	$13,559
Arbor Station Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9999 Parkway S	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-3000	544	37	14.9	74.8%	66 (12.1%)	298 (54.8%)	123 (22.6%)	11 (2.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.9%)	35	756^th of 1222 public elementary schools	38.1%		38.5	706^th of 1238 public elementary schools	43.0%	50		38.0	36.2	39.1				33.0			$13,383	$563	$12,820
Mount Carmel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2356 Fairburn Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-4200	425	28	15.1	83.8%	34 (8.0%)	266 (62.6%)	93 (21.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (6.4%)	39.6	676^th of 1222 public elementary schools	44.7%		27.9	875^th of 1238 public elementary schools	29.3%	199		43.0	37.4	36.1				40.3			$14,221	$614	$13,608
Beulah Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 S Burnt Hickory Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3300	428	34	12.5	83.9%	64 (15.0%)	130 (30.4%)	197 (46.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	28 (6.5%)	37.1	714^th of 1222 public elementary schools	41.6%		48.6	584^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.8%	130		38.7	46.1	34.2				31.7			$15,878	$647	$15,231
Bright Star Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6300 John West Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-3400	481	31	15.5	85.4%	39 (8.1%)	328 (68.2%)	76 (15.8%)	9 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.0%)	44.1	631^st of 1222 public elementary schools	48.4%		47.9	594^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.0%	37		42.3	51.1	37.6				31.8			$14,762	$1,679	$13,084
North Douglas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1630 Dorris Rd	Douglasville	30134	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-4800	537	38	14.3	88.3%	15 (2.8%)	376 (70.0%)	99 (18.4%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.6%)	33.1	784^th of 1222 public elementary schools	35.8%		27	888^th of 1238 public elementary schools	28.3%	104		36.1	36.9	37.9				31.0			$14,708	$2,129	$12,579
Chapel Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4433 Coursey Lake Rd	Douglasville	30135	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	No	(770) 651-3600	620	40	15.6	69.2%	53 (8.5%)	432 (69.7%)	85 (13.7%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.3%)	31.5	810^th of 1222 public elementary schools	33.7%		34.1	773^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	37.6%	37		39.6	33.9	35.8				29.6			$11,513	$505	$11,008
Sweetwater Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2505 E County Line Rd	Lithia Springs	30122	Douglas County	Douglas County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 651-4600	473	33	14.5	87.9%	42 (8.9%)	251 (53.1%)	157 (33.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.4%)	29.8	838^th of 1222 public elementary schools	31.4%		27.4	884^th of 1238 public elementary schools	28.6%	46		26.1	38.8	34.4				34.5			$15,038	$1,850	$13,189

Frequently Asked Questions about Brighten Academy

What is the racial makeup of Brighten Academy?

Students at Brighten Academy are 72% African American, 11% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Brighten Academy in?

Douglas County

Is Brighten Academy a good school?

Brighten Academy ranks 849^th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Brighten Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 812 students attended Brighten Academy.

Rate Brighten Academy!

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

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.