Hello, and welcome back to "Just the Facts!"

I've been in many schools and at many games this fall, and one of the phrases I hear a lot is, "I'm just glad we're in Cobb." I always respond, “I am, too—it's the best place to raise a family!!” 

What does "best" actually mean, though? Don't most schools say they're the best? They probably do, with one big difference in Cobb—our schools really are among the very best in the state and nation. Don't rely on my opinion, though—this is just the Facts after all! Let's look at some data that the state of Georgia released this fall. 

Did you know... 

• A student in a Cobb school is more successful than their peers on the SAT, ACT, and Georgia Milestones! That’s a clean sweep and how a parent can know for a fact their children are learning! 
• Cobb’s children are reading on grade level more often than almost every county in the area! 
• Cobb student-athletes are succeeding on the field and in the classroom. Cobb athletes boast an average GPA of 3.60! That's almost straight A's for Cobb's athletes! 
• It doesn’t stop there. Over the last few years, more and more of our students have also been graduating successfully. With a graduation rate of 87%, Cobb's graduating class of 2024 just earned a record-setting $154 million in scholarships! 
• Forbes magazine has ranked Cobb as one of the best places to work for six straight years. While school districts across the country are suffering through a “teacher drought,” here in Cobb, we’ve been able to hire and keep more than 99% of our teachers! 
• U.S. News and World Report ranked many of our schools among the best in the state! 
• With feedback from over 72,000 community members, our latest Accreditation Review gave Cobb a higher grade than other districts it reviews. 

So then, the next time you hear someone say how happy they are with their child's school or if you hear someone else who wants our schools to change, you now know the facts! Our children's and the entire county's future is too important to threaten the work we have done with anything less. Cobb is the best place to learn, teach, and raise a family. With stable leadership who is committed to making our schools even better, that is a fact. 

Board Chair Randy Scamihorn