The number of Georgia schools deemed "chronically failing” has grown by 20 percent, according to a new state count.

But DeKalb County was among districts that didn’t contribute to that growth. Indeed, the district has two fewer schools deemed to have failed for three years in a row under the new count. It still has a sizable number of listed schools though, with 26.

The list grew to 153 schools from 127 in 2015, with 13 dropping from the list but 48 performing poorly enough to get added to it.

Its release comes amid speculation about Gov. Nathan Deal’s plans to confront the problem after his proposed solution, a statewide Opportunity School District that required a constitutional amendment, lost at the polls in November.

"Putting aside all the rhetoric and the debate over the constitutional amendment that we just came through, the fact remains we still have almost 70,000 children in failing schools in Georgia,” Rep. David Ralston, the House speaker, said. “And so what we do about that is going to be important to me, it's going to be important to the House.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

HBCUs nationally will get $438 million, according to the UNCF, previously known as the United Negro College Fund. Georgia has 10 historically Black colleges and universities. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Featured

The city of Atlanta opened Azalea Fresh Market downtown to help residents find affordable groceries. (Natrice Miller/AJC)