Atlanta Public Schools get new School Climate Star ratings

Atlanta Public Schools.

Atlanta Public Schools.

Fifty-nine Atlanta Public Schools received “satisfactory” or higher scores on state "School Climate Star” ratings, officials said Thursday.

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.

In APS, 35 of the 94 rated schools received scores below satisfactory, including nine that received 1-star ratings.

Seven APS schools received the top rating.

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 of above on 2016 Georgia Milestones. In 5-star schools, the number is 43.5 percent.