The Clarke County School District (CCSD) continued to see an increase last school year in the number of elementary school students reading on grade level and saw several other notable areas of progress.
Last week, the Georgia Department of Education released Georgia Milestones test scores statewide for the 2024-25 school year, which showed a higher percentage of CCSD elementary students reading on grade level for the fourth consecutive year ā as well as a 5-point increase in students who scored as āDeveloping and Aboveā in mathematics for grades 3-8. Science proficiency for CCSD students also rose over 4 points between spring 2024 and spring 2025, and eighth-grade studentsā social studies proficiency increased almost 5 points. The results released by GaDOE do not include students who retested this summer.
Since fall 2022, CCSDās district leadership team has focused on fostering a more rigorous and equitable learning environment across all schools where teachers, staff, and students are supported with all of the resources they need so that students are able to reach their full potential. These efforts have continued to pay dividends according to the most recent Milestone results. Third-grade reading scores increased 4 points over the previous year to 61% at or above grade level, while Black students and students with disabilities have elevated their performance to pre-pandemic levels.
In addition to reading gains, Black students and eighth-grade on-level math students showed their highest achievement levels since the pandemic. Along with these pre-pandemic performances, American Literature achievement was also the highest since 2019. Eighth-grade students also grew in science proficiency by almost 8 points in 2024-25 over the previous year and showed their highest level of social studies proficiency in assessment history.
CCSD will continue its focus this school year on boosting reading scores for students in grades 3-8 and meeting and surpassing statewide averages on all Milestones tests.
āA focus for us has been the retention and recruitment of teachers who have high expectations for all students, and we are deeply committed to providing strong instruction, deep engagement, and grade-appropriate assignments to every child in every classroom,ā said Dr. Jennifer Scott, Interim Superintendent. āWe have also done a hard reset on the way we teach reading in our district with an approach based on the Science of Reading. This yearās results indicate that, while we still have work to do, we are headed in the right direction."
Students take Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) tests in grades 3-8 and End of Course (EOC) tests in identified high school courses. The Georgia Milestones assessment system meets the federal requirement that states test students in math and English Language Arts in grades 3-8 and once in high school, as well as in science once per grade band (3-5, 6-8, 9-12). The Georgia Milestones are the primary factor in determining the stateās College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) score. The state will release all CCRPI results this fall.
Full Milestones results for CCSD and the state are available here.