Regional Snapshot: Public Education in Metro Atlanta

Highlights from this snapshot:

• A study commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that children not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to not graduate high school.¹ Overall, only 40 percent of 3rd graders in the 10-county ARC Region are proficient in reading by the end of 3rd grade.
• Mastery of eighth grade math (pre-algebra) is a predictor of success in 9th grade algebra, which is a gatekeeper to high school graduation, college readiness, and post-secondary success.² Only 44 percent of 8th graders were proficient in math by the end of 8th grade in 2017-2018.
• Looking at the high-school graduation rate (83%) and post-secondary enrollment rate (74%) in isolation, you might think that somehow students are managing to catch up in those last four years of high school and are prepared for post-secondary studies and careers. However, post-secondary persistence (46%) and remediation rates (17% math, 9% English) show evidence that students are entering post-secondary institutions under-prepared, culminating in low college completion rates (25%).

Click through the slides below or download the PDF Regional Snapshot: Public Education in Metro Atlanta.