DeKalb County continues its reign as the state district with the highest number of schools with an unsatisfactory culture for 2016, according to the state’s “School Climate Star” rating system.

The ratings released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Education are derived from a variety of sources, including surveys of parents and school staff and discipline and attendance data. A five is the top score, and 312 schools statewide ranked there versus 259 in 2015. Seventy-five schools scored at the bottom, down from 87 the previous year.

The Georgia Department of Education reports that 12 DeKalb County schools received an unsatisfactory score on school culture, down from 14 in 2015, but still more than seven in 2014.

DeKalb County School District officials did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Georgia Department of Education officials say a link exists between a positive school climate and grade-level reading.

“The data makes a compelling case: the better a school’s climate, the higher its percentage of students reading on grade level by third grade,” officials said.

In schools with a 1-star rating, approximately 12.7 percent of third-graders score as proficient learner or above on 2016 Georgia Milestones. In 5-star schools, the number is 43.5 percent.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A Kennesaw State student’s mortarboard is decorated with “2025” during the Spring 2025 commencement of the Michael J. Coles College of Business at the Convocation Center, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Kennesaw, Ga. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

In 2022, Georgia Power projected its winter peak electricity demand would grow by about 400 megawatts by 2031. Since then, Georgia has experienced a boom of data centers, which require a large load of electricty to run, and Georgia Power's recent forecast shows peak demand growing by 20 times the 400-megawatt estimate from just three years ago. (Illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC)

Credit: Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC