The Clarke County School District continues to see positive trends across the board in its school climate ratings, according to data released today by the Georgia Department of Education – reflecting strong progress in safety, student and family engagement, and overall perception of school environment in recent years.

The Georgia School Climate Star Rating system is an annual evaluation of school environments designed to assess safety, relationships, and overall conditions that support student learning. The ratings range from 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars indicating an excellent school climate and 1 star indicating significant challenges in the school's environment. The ratings are based on multiple factors, including: 

• Feedback on School Climate Surveys from students, teachers, and families on school safety, relationships, and overall school environment

• Student discipline data 

• Measures related to school safety including reports on violence, bullying, drug use, and overall building security

• Student and staff attendance rates

• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Framework: All schools in CCSD are recognized as PBIS schools through the work of the Student and Family Support subdivision, and all schools received 5 bonus points on their school climate scores for this implementation.

Schools are given a 0-100 numerical score and then assigned a star rating based on a differing scale for elementary and middle and high schools. For the 2023-24 school year, four CCSD schools received 5-star or “excellent” ratings – Fowler Drive Elementary (99.2), Timothy Road Elementary (98.2), J.J. Harris Elementary (98.1), and Whitehead Road Elementary (98.0). Fowler Drive has seen a 12-point increase since 2018 to move from 2 to 5 stars on the scale. 

Seven other schools received 4-star or “above average” ratings. Cleveland Road Elementary (96.3, up more than 7 points since 2019) was just one-tenth of a point shy of achieving a 5-star rating, while Barrow Elementary was at 95.2. Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School (88.5) was one point shy of a 5-star rating on the middle/high school scale, while Winterville (92.6) and Barnett Shoals (92.3) elementary schools, Clarke Central High School (86.3), and Clarke Middle School (83.5) also received 4-star ratings. 

Most other schools were rated 3 stars or “average” — with Oglethorpe Avenue (91.6), Johnnie Lay Burks (91.1), and Gaines (90.8) elementary schools finishing a point or less away from the 4-star threshold — and the vast majority of CCSD schools have seen a positive rating increase since 2019. Bettye H. Holston Elementary (86.1) was the only school to finish below the 3-star threshold but was just 1.1 points shy of obtaining a 3-star rating and has improved more than 10 points over the last five years. 

“We continue to be encouraged by these results and will use them to help us identify strengths and areas for growth,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker. “We appreciate all of our students, staff, and families who took time to provide feedback on the school climate surveys. At CCSD, we believe learning occurs best in school cultures where staff and students feel a sense of belonging, safety, and support. We have been very intentional in making data-driven decisions to improve student and staff experiences across the district, and we will utilize this feedback to continue doing so and ensure that all of our schools are accountable in those efforts.”

Click here to access information on individual school climate ratings from the GaDOE CCRPI reports dashboard.