Six Georgia public school districts, including four in metro Atlanta, were recently honored for their efforts to teach music.

Atlanta, Cobb, Fulton and Gwinnett were among 476 school districts nationwide named among the best communities for music education by the National Association of Music Merchants, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to support public music programs.

Many Georgia school districts are trying to invest more money and resources into music and arts programs, citing research that shows students involved in the arts do better academically.

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Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com