53 Atlanta schools beat the odds last year

Atlanta school superintendent Meria Carstarphen presented her district transformation plan at a 2016 Carver High School meeting. Atlanta Public Schools had the third highest number of Beating the Odds schools in the state. KENT D. JOHNSON/ kdjohnson@ajc.com

Atlanta school superintendent Meria Carstarphen presented her district transformation plan at a 2016 Carver High School meeting. Atlanta Public Schools had the third highest number of Beating the Odds schools in the state. KENT D. JOHNSON/ kdjohnson@ajc.com

Fifty-three Atlanta schools beat their predicted score on the College and Career Ready Performance Index last year, data released by the Georgia Department of Education shows.

The department uses CCRPI to rate schools and school districts on a 100-point scale using a variety of performance indicators. It also conducts “Beating the Odds” analyses to predict a score range for each school, taking into account school size, student mobility, demographics and other factors.

Statewide, more than 1,000 schools beat their state projected score. About 70 percent of these schools have poverty rates of at least 25 percent.

“We view these schools as major success stories,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “In fact, it’s difficult to fully express the magnitude of what they’ve achieved. Statistically, a high rate of poverty presents multiple barriers to achievement, but these schools are beating the odds and doing excellent work on behalf of Georgia students.”

Atlanta Public Schools had the third highest number of Beating the Odds schools in Georgia. The district also had 13 schools that beat their projected score for the fifth consecutive year.

The average score for an APS school that beat its projected score was 65.7, which is 7.3 points below the state average.

Click here to see which Atlanta schools beat the odds.