Regional Snapshot: Public Education in Metro Atlanta

Last month, our regional snapshot focused on the region’s physical health. This month, we assess the health of public education in the metro region. Inspired by the recently released Learn4Life (L4L) State of Education in Metro Atlanta Annual Report, our team at ARC analyzed 10-county regional education data for a selection of key cradle-to-career indicators. We review detailed information for three indicators in particular: 3rd grade reading proficiency, 8th grade math proficiency, and post-secondary enrollment, before concluding with a deep dive on 8th grade math proficiency (coincidentally, the focus of L4L’s most recently launched Change Action Network).

Highlights from this snapshot:

Overall, only 39 percent of 3rd graders in the 10-county ARC Region are proficient in reading by the end of 3rd grade.
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.
Similar to reading outcomes, only 43 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math by the end of 8th grade.
Minority and economically disadvantaged students are less likely to take advanced mathematics courses. And, regardless of the type of assessment taken, achievement gaps persist among subgroups.
There is a strong correlation between literacy and 8th grade math proficiency.
There is also a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and student achievement, which is also visible in the spatial distribution of levels of student achievement throughout the region.