Education consists of public and private schools in the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, including the

University System of Georgia The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates gener ...

Technical College System of Georgia The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), formerly known as the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE), is the State of Georgia Government Agency which supervises the U.S. state of Georgia's 22 technical colleges, while also su ...

, private colleges, and secondary and primary schools.

Governance structure

The vast majority of public schools in the state are operated by county-ordered districts, with city-based districts (autonomous from county districts) being a small minority (namely Pelham,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Decatur,

Social Circle In the social sciences, a social group is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. Fo ...

, Marietta,

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

Dalton Dalton may refer to: Science * Dalton (crater), a lunar crater * Dalton (program), chemistry software * Dalton (unit) (Da), a.k.a. unified atomic mass unit * John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist * 12292 Dalton, an asteroid Ent ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Gainesville,

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer) * Jefferson (singer) or Geoff Turton (born 1944), British s ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Thomasville, Trion,

Valdosta Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, which in 2023 had a metropolitan population of 151,118, according to the US Census B ...

, Vidalia,

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, Buford,

Calhoun John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States. Calhoun can also refer to: Surname * Calhoun (surname) Inhabited places in the United States *Calhoun, Georgia * Calhoun, Illinois *Calhoun, Kentucky * Calhoun, Louis ...

, and Cartersville).

State Board of Education

The

Georgia Department of Education Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(GaDOE) administers

public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

in the state. The department is administered by an elected State Superintendent of Schools. Local municipalities and their respective

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

s operate individual public schools but the GaDOE audits performance of public schools. The GaDOE also makes recommendations to state leaders concerning education spending and policies.

Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission

The Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC) has statutory responsibilities in matters relating to nonpublic, postsecondary, educational institutions as per O.C.G.A. § 20-3-250 “Nonpublic Postsecondary Educational Institutions Act of 1990.” The ''Hechinger Report'' found in 2020 that since 2014, thirty schools had announced their closing with an email or a notice at the school's entrance. The U.S. Department of Education receives school financial information, but the data may be outdated upon receipt. Accrediting agencies may have more timely data, but are inconsistent in their response. Some state monitoring agencies don't have the ability to closely check financial status. According to the ''Hechinger Report'', the GNPEC does more than many other states. The finances of most institutions are checked by an external auditor prior to reauthorization each year. When

Argosy University Argosy University was a private for-profit university with campuses throughout the United States owned by Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), LLC and Education Management Corporation. On February 27, 2019, the U.S. Department of Educat ...

abruptly closed in March 2019, the GNPEC had funding available to provide tuition refunds. However, Georgia law limits the claims to $250,000 for a defaulting institution. Federal law requires schools in financial trouble to prepare transition plans for existing students. These ''Teach-out plans'' are meant to provide students with alternative schools offering equivalent programs. The GNPEC retains student transcript records for shuttered schools, but cannot access detail records that document student work and are necessary when the student transfers. The mission of the GNPEC "is to ensure that each authorized nonpublic postsecondary educational institution in Georgia is satisfying its commitments to hardworking Georgians through sound academics and financial stability". All in-state nonpublic and out-of-state postsecondary education institutions that want to operate in the State of Georgia must receive authorization from the GNPEC and renew that authorization in subsequent years. Any business in Georgia that wants to include "university" or "college" in its name is required to obtain permission from GNPEC. Even entities that have no physical presence in Georgia are required to be authorized if they offer their programs to Georgia residents. New York and Washington do not.

Performance and rankings

Georgia ranked 30th in the nation for educational performance, according to

Education Week ''Education Week'' is a news organization that has covered K–12, K–12 education since 1981. It is owned by Editorial Projects in Education (EPE), a nonprofit organization, and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The newspaper publishes ...

's Quality Counts 2018 report. The state had earned an overall score of 73.0 out of 100 points. On average, the nation received a score of 75.2; meaning the state ranked slightly below average. Georgia posted a C-plus in the Chance-for-Success category, ranking 33rd on factors that contribute to a person's success both within and outside the K-12 education system. Georgia received a mark of D-plus and finished 37th for School Finance. It ranked 11th with a grade of C on the K-12 Achievement Index.

Secondary schools

In 2016, Georgia had a high school graduation rate of 80.6%, putting it 41st in the country. Georgia

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s (grades nine through twelve) are required to administer a

standardized Standardization (American English) or standardisation (British English) is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organiza ...

multiple choice Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only the correct answer from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format i ...

End of Course Test The End of Course Test (EOCT, EOC, or EOC Test) is an academic assessment conducted in many states by the State Board of Education and Island of Bermuda. Georgia, for example, tests from the ninth to twelfth grades, and North Carolina tests for a ...

, or EOC, in each of eight core subjects including

Algebra I Algebra is a branch of mathematics that deals with abstract systems, known as algebraic structures, and the manipulation of expressions within those systems. It is a generalization of arithmetic that introduces variables and algebraic operati ...

Geometry Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

U.S. History The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

Physical Science Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together is called the "physical sciences". Definition ...

, Ninth Grade

Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and

Composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

, and

American Literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the British colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also ...

and Composition. The official purpose of the tests is to assess "specific content knowledge and skills." Although a minimum test score is not required for the student to receive

credit Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...

in the course, completion of the test is mandatory. The EOC score comprises 20% of a student's grade in the course. Until 2014, the

Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests The Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) were a set of tests administered at public schools in the state of Georgia (U.S. State), Georgia that are designed to test the knowledge of first through eighth graders in reading, English/language a ...

(CRCT) was taken in 1st-8th grade. The CRCT was replaced by the Georgia Milestones end-of-grade exams for the 2014–15 school year. Through the 2013–14 school year, high school students were also required receive passing scores on four Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) and the Georgia High School Writing Assessment in order to receive a diploma. Subjects assessed included Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. These tests are initially offered during students' eleventh-grade year, allowing for multiple opportunities to pass the tests before

graduation A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...

at the end of twelfth grade.GA DOE – Testing – GHSGT
. Retrieved 24 April 2008. These exams were replaced with the redesigned end-of-course exams as part of the Georgia Milestones program.

Higher education

Georgia has 62 public colleges, universities, and technical colleges in addition to over 45 private institutes of higher learning. The

HOPE Scholarship The Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) Program is a scholarship and grant initiative established in Georgia in 1993. Under the guidance of then- Governor Zell Miller, the program was designed to provide financial aid to exceptional ...

, funded by the

state lottery In the United States, lotteries are run by 48 jurisdictions: 45 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lotteries are subject to the laws of and operated independently by each jurisdiction, and there is no ...

, was available to all Georgia residents who have graduated from high school with a 3.0 or higher grade point average and who attend a public college or university in the state. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition and provides a stipend for books for up to 120 credit hours. If the student does not maintain a 3.0 average while in college they may lose the scholarship in which case they will have the chance to get it back by bringing their grade point average above a 3.0 within a period of 30 credit hours. This scholarship has had a significant impact on the state university system, increasing competition for admission and increasing the quality of education. In 2011, facing a budget shortfall, the state cut portions of the HOPE scholarship. Bill 326 trimmed scholarships by 90 percent. High school seniors who earn a 3.7 GPA and a 1200 on the SAT will still be able to get a full scholarship, now known as the Zell Miller scholarship, under the new law. Students who previously qualified for HOPE can still receive a scholarship worth 80% of tuition. Current college students are not eligible for the full scholarship amount.

Private Institutions

Notes

External links

Georgia Education Milestone
{{UnivSysGa