Top public high schools in Georgia, according to U.S. News & World Report

Joyce Lupiani

ATLANTA - U.S. News & World Report has released its annual rankings of Best High Schools in the nation, including data on nearly 25,000 public high schools across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

According to the report, 11.5% of the ranked public high schools were charter schools, and 4.4% were magnet schools.

Schools were evaluated on six factors, weighted as follows: college readiness (30%), state assessment proficiency (20%), state assessment performance (20%), underserved student performance (10%), college curriculum breadth (10%), and graduation rate (10%).

Florida and Arizona led the list with 12 high schools in the top 100, followed by California with 11 schools in the top 100.

The top high school in Georgia and the only Georgia high school to make it into the top 100 national rankings was Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Lawrenceville.

This school, with an enrollment of 1,231, boasts a graduation rate of 99%, with 100% of its students taking at least one AP exam and 97% passing at least one AP exam. It also scored 100% in mathematics and science proficiency and 99% in reading proficiency.

Below are the top schools listed by their respective districts:

Atlanta Public Schools:

  • Atlanta Classical Academy (#29 in Georgia)

  • Grady High School (#30)

  • North Atlanta High School (#56)

  • Charles Drew Charter School (#72)

  • Coretta Scott King Women's Leadership Academy (#103)

Cherokee County High Schools:

  • Etowah High School, Woodstock (#63)

  • Creekview High School, Canton (#68)

  • River Ridge High School, Woodstock (#77)

  • Sequoyah High School, Canton (#86)

  • Woodstock High School, Woodstock (#96)

Cobb County School District:

  • Walton High School, Marietta (#4)

  • Lassiter High School, Marietta (#13)

  • Pope High School, Marietta (#25)

  • Harrison High School, Kennesaw (#36)

  • Wheeler High School, Marietta (#41)

DeKalb County:

  • DeKalb School of the Arts, Avondale Estates (#7)

  • Chamblee Charter High School, Chamblee (#33)

  • DeKalb Early College Academy, Stone Mountain (#35)

  • Dunwoody High School, Dunwoody (#66)

  • Arabia Mountain High School, Lithonia (#76)

Fayette County:

  • McIntosh High School, Peachtree City (#18)

  • Starrs Mill High School, Fayetteville (#22)

  • Whitewater High School, Fayetteville (#38)

  • Fayette County High School, Fayetteville (#92)

  • Sandy Creek High School, Tyrone (#99)

Forsyth County:

  • Alliance Academy for Innovation, Cumming (#3)

  • South Forsyth High School, Cumming (#8)

  • Lambert High School, Suwanee (#9)

  • Denmark High School, Alpharetta (#26)

  • West Forsyth High School, Cumming (#78)

Fulton County:

  • Northview High School, Duluth (#5)

  • Chattahoochee High School, Alpharetta (#12)

  • Johns Creek High School, Johns Creek (#20)

  • Milton High School, Alpharetta (#21)

  • Alpharetta High School, Alpharetta (#23)

Gwinnett County:

  • Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Lawrenceville (#1)

  • North Gwinnett High School, Suwanee (#17)

  • Paul Duke High School, Norcross (#32)

  • Brookwood High School, Snellville (#34)

  • Mill Creek High School, Hoschton (#37)

Visit U.S. News & World Report's website to see rankings for all the schools in every state and a detailed breakdown for each school.

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