Banneker High School

Banneker High School is a large public high school in College Park, GA, serving 1,695 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Fulton County School District, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Banneker is showing real momentum. The school jumped from the 24th to the 43rd percentile in statewide rankings in just one year—an 83-position climb—and its graduation rate has risen to 84.6%, up from 81.4% two years ago. The most dramatic gains are in U.S. History, where proficiency soared from 9.3% to 43.4% over three years, now above the state average. Biology proficiency has also improved steadily, from 13.9% to 35.7% over the same period. Perhaps the school's greatest strength is its work with special education students, where it ranks in the 83rd percentile statewide—a 4-star rating that places it among the best in Georgia. It also performs notably well with its African American students, ranking in the 63rd percentile. The school invests heavily in its students, spending $18,662 per pupil and maintaining a low 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio—the lowest among nearby comprehensive high schools.

Challenges remain, however. Chronic absenteeism, while improving dramatically from 85.7% to 54.0% over four years, is still more than triple the state average of 17.7%. The dropout rate of 7.9% is also well above the district average of 2.8%. Compared to Creekside High School, which has a similar high-poverty population but a much lower dropout rate of 2.8%, Banneker has room to grow in keeping students engaged. Still, the trajectory is encouraging—the school has climbed from the 12th percentile three years ago to its current 43rd percentile, and its consistent gains across test scores, graduation rates, and attendance suggest recent investments are taking hold.