Georgia · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Georgia

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
305,752
Students enrolled
47/100
Avg quality score
C
Top grade

The ranking in one line

City Schools of Decatur in Decatur leads Georgia's districts with an average school quality score of 56.4/100 across 9 schools.

56.4/100
top district score (grade C)
9
schools in City Schools of Decatur
5,655
students in the top district
47/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 City Schools of Decatur Decatur C 56.4
2 Jasper County Monticello C 55.8
3 Wilkinson County Irwinton C- 53.8
4 Chickamauga City Chickamauga C- 53.3
5 Cartersville City Cartersville C- 51.8
6 Burke County Waynesboro C- 50.8
7 Vidalia City Vidalia C- 50.8
8 Schley County Ellaville C- 50
9 Early County Blakely D 49.3
10 Towns County Hiawassee D 49.3
11 Appling County Baxley D 48.2
12 Dalton Public Schools Dalton D 47.7
13 Marietta City Marietta D 47.5
14 Rome City Rome D 47.5
15 Fayette County Fayetteville D 47.4
16 Lumpkin County Dahlonega D 47.4
17 Trion City Trion D 47.3
18 Lincoln County Lincolnton D 47.3
19 Wheeler County Alamo D 47.3
20 Whitfield County Dalton D 47
21 Oglethorpe County Lexington D 47
22 Echols County Statenville D 47
23 Candler County Metter D 46.8
24 Dade County Trenton D 46.8
25 Irwin County Ocilla D 46.7
26 Catoosa County Ringgold D 46.6
27 Lowndes County Valdosta D 46.5
28 Habersham County Clarkesville D 46.4
29 Taylor County Butler D 46.3
30 Oconee County Watkinsville D 46.2
31 Lee County Leesburg D 46.1
32 Cherokee County Canton D 46.1
33 Chattahoochee County Cusseta D 46
34 Wilkes County Washington D 45.8
35 Tattnall County Reidsville D 45.6
36 Emanuel County Swainsboro D 45.5
37 Putnam County Eatonton D 45.5
38 Bremen City Bremen D 45.5
39 Coweta County Newnan D 45.4
40 Savannah-Chatham County Savannah D 45.4
41 Turner County Ashburn D 45.3
42 Jefferson City Jefferson D 45.3
43 Monroe County Forsyth D 45.2
44 Buford City Buford D 45
45 Grady County Cairo D 45
46 Mcintosh County Darien D 45
47 Terrell County Dawson D 45
48 Charlton County Folkston D 44.8
49 Bryan County Pembroke D 44.7
50 Jackson County Jefferson D 44.7

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Georgia? ▼

The top-ranked district in Georgia is City Schools of Decatur in Decatur with 5,655 students across 9 schools. Average quality score: 56.4/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated? ▼

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Georgia? ▼

Georgia has 50+ school districts serving 1,738,641 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 14.5:1.

Explore More for Georgia

All Schools → Best Schools → Highest Spending → Funding Equity → Absenteeism Data →

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.