The most recent release of Georgia Milestones scores marked the first time that many students across the state were assessed following the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the challenges of the past few years, students across the Cobb County School District outperformed their state and large metro Atlanta peers. The results show: 

• Cobb students scored higher than Georgia students in all subjects and in the percentage of students reading on grade level
• Among the CCSD’s large metro Atlanta peers, and across all subject areas, Cobb has the highest mean score on the Milestones
• Among the CCSD’s large metro Atlanta peers, Cobb has the highest % of students reading at or above grade level
• Among the CCSD’s large metro Atlanta peers, and across all subject areas, Cobb has the highest % of learners considered “developing and above” (levels 2-4). 
• Among the CCSD’s large metro Atlanta peers, and across all EOC subject areas, Cobb has the highest % of learners considered “proficient and above” (levels 3-4)

“In Cobb, student success is our continuous One Goal. Our students are supported by the best Team who, data continues to show, make Cobb the best place to teach, lead, and learn. I could not be more proud of our teachers going above and beyond for our students," said Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Despite debate on many topics over the last two school years, this year’s round of Georgia Milestones scores show the difficult decisions made by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, and supported by the majority of the Cobb Board of Education, benefitted Cobb students. 

In Cobb, decisions have been and continue to be made for students first, with support from the Team of teachers and staff who, the data says, makes Cobb the best place to teach, lead, and learn. 

“Cobb’s Georgia Milestones achievements are directly related to Superintendent Ragsdale and his team’s commitment to making decisions for students first. We kept our schools open, we prioritized giving families as many choices as possible, and we created new and exciting ways for students to learn,” said Board Chair David Chastain. “I am proud of our Cobb students, and I’m proud in Cobb, we continue to offer a world-class education to all of our students.” 

Cobb students outpaced their Georgia peers by double digits in multiple grades and subjects. In eighth-grade physical science, Cobb students scored more than 16 percentage points higher than their fellow Georgia students. Cobb students topped their peers by 15+ percentage points in U.S. history. The percentage of students reading on grade level in Cobb in fourth and sixth grades was more than ten percentage points higher than the rest of Georgia. For all the remaining grades, Cobb was up by more than seven percentage points. 

When looking at the largest metro districts and Cobb’s closest neighbors, Cobb Schools also led with the highest percent of proficient learners (level 3) in multiple grades and subjects. For sixth grade, Cobb students posted the highest reading and math scores. That is on top of having the most developing, proficient, or distinguished learners (levels 2-4) in all subjects. 

In addition to the Districtwide achievement, individual Cobb schools led the state in their grade level scores. Tritt Elementary School stood at the top of the list of Georgia schools for the highest percent of readers at or above reading level (98.4%) in third grade. Tritt third graders also posted one of the top reading scores in the entire state. In fourth grade, 4 of the top 10 schools for reading were Cobb Schools: Mount Bethel Elementary School (576), Timber Ridge Elementary School (574), Mountain View Elementary School (571), and Sope Creek Elementary School (568). 

“As advised by the Georgia Department of Education, no one should make comparisons to previous year’s results in Cobb or across the state. The impacts of the pandemic over the last couple of years make it impossible to do so in a reliable way. We know our students are doing well compared to their peers, and we are focused on what each student knows and what they need to learn,” said John Floresta, Cobb Schools Chief Strategy & Accountability Officer.