Last week, Atlanta Public Schools hosted  "The Work Is Working," a press conference announcing that the district ranked first among metro Atlanta school districts in year-over-year (YOY) academic gains while also achieving its strongest academic gains since Georgia introduced the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) in 2015.

The district’s YOY gains in math, science and social studies reflect a decade of steady progress and cements APS as the academic growth leader in metro Atlanta. Across all three subjects, APS scholars achieved gains that were more than double the statewide average.

During the event, district and city leaders shared how APS’ Back to the Basics 2030 strategic plan is driving measurable improvements in student achievement and attendance through strategic investments in teaching, learning and school leadership. Held at Fickett Elementary School, one of the district's standout stories, the event also shined a spotlight on how intentional investments are translating into success in classrooms across the district.

And, at the heart of the event, the message was simple: The work is working. 

According to APS Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson, this consistent, upward trend reflects years of collective efforts from students, educators and school leaders across the district. 

“Today is an exciting day for Atlanta Public Schools, because we have the opportunity to share something our students, educators, and families have earned through years of hard work,” said Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson. “For the past several years, we have remained focused on what matters most: Excellent teaching, strong leadership, safe schools, and ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also joined district leaders in celebrating the milestone and offered remarks on the importance of collaborating to ensure the continued success of Atlanta’s students.

After a decade of focused work, APS is seeing measurable progress across student achievement, attendance and teacher stability. Highlights include:

Achievement rising across the district

• Math proficiency has increased 8.2 percentage points since Georgia's new math standards were introduced in 2023–24. 
• Enrollment in 8th-grade Algebra I increased by 2 percentage points districtwide, expanding access to advanced coursework.
• 2026 math proficiency exceeded pre-pandemic (2019) levels across every grade band.

More students are learning and showing up

• 72.4% of APS students were not chronically absent this year, an improvement of 3.6 percentage points over 2025.
• APS narrowed the chronic absenteeism gap with the state from 14.2 percentage points in 2022 to 8.0 percentage points in 2026. 

Strong momentum, not a finish line

• APS began the school year with a 90% teacher retention rate, an average of 13.8 years of teacher experience, and zero teacher vacancies on the first day of school. 

In addition, the district's progress extends beyond its own YOY growth. Compared to districts across metro Atlanta and the state, APS scholars continue to rank in top scoring benchmarks across the board.

The proof is in our progress

• #1 in Metro Atlanta: APS recorded the largest YOY gains in the percentage of students scoring Proficient and Above in math, science and social studies outpacing several metro Atlanta school districts including Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties and Buford, Decatur, and Marietta city schools.
• Outpacing the State: APS' YOY gains in students scoring Proficient and Above in math, science and social studies were more than double the statewide average.
• State-Leading Student Growth: Several APS schools ranked among Georgia's highest-performing schools for student academic growth:
• Garden Hills Elementary School: No. 1 in Georgia for fourth-grade math growth, as measured by Median Student Growth Percentile (SGP), among more than 1,000 elementary schools.
• Virginia Highland Elementary School: No. 3 in Georgia for fourth-grade math growth.
• Sylvan Hills Middle School: No. 8 in Georgia for eighth-grade math growth.
• Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy: No. 10 in Georgia for eighth-grade math growth.

And while the data highlights significant gains for the district,  Atlanta Board of Education Chair Jessica Johnson says the latest wins belong to the students, teachers, school leaders and staff whose commitment has made this progress possible. 

“The Atlanta Board of Education couldn’t be more proud of this accomplishment,” Johnson said. “Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, the efforts of our teachers, administrators, and students are producing the kinds of results that prove that the investments we have made in our people and our programming are working.”

“We still have a long way to go as a district, but we are making great progress, and that is certainly very encouraging.”