Georgia receives a ‘B’ for education freedom | Georgia

(The Center Square) — Georgia won an general B rating and ranked eleventh national for its education freedom.

The American Legislative Exchange Council 2023 Index of State Education Freedom “focuses exclusively on the policies each state has in place to ensure their students can access the best educational environment for them.”

The report graded the Peach State on its constitution faculties (A), financing methods (D), homeschooling (B), open enrollment (B) and digital training (D).

“Georgia is so close to becoming a national leader on school choice,” Nathaniel Cunneen, a communications strategist on the American Federation for Children, advised The Center Square by way of e mail. “As these rankings show, Georgia offers laudable charter schools and open enrollment opportunities to students, but it won’t be true education freedom until the Georgia legislature expands school choice to every student.

“They can do that by way of passing an Education Savings Account program this is to be had to each and every child,” Cunneen added. “Georgians shouldn’t be content material with excellent grades in best a few classes; they must focal point on empowering households to choose between all education choices.”

During this year’s session, Georgia lawmakers  Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, a measure that called for taxpayers to cover the cost of scholarships up to $6,500 per student per school year. The proposal would have allowed the families to use the money to defray “certified” education costs, such as private school tuition.

A spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Education declined to comment on the ALEC report.

However, this week, state education officials said Georgia’s four-year graduation rate increased to 84.4% from 84.1% in 2022. Officials said it sets a new high-water mark since the state started using the “adjusted cohort calculation,” which federal law first required to be calculated in 2011.

“It’s necessary to remember the fact that the certain news we’ve won in recent times – from this historic-high commencement price to Georgia scholars beating the nationwide reasonable at the SAT – is extra than simply numbers,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in an announcement. “Every information level represents a real pupil and new alternatives that experience spread out for their long term.”

Georgia’s class of 2023 also recorded an average composite score of 21.3 on the ACT, down slightly from last year’s 21.6 average but topping the national average of 19.5. It marked the seventh year in a row Georgia students exceeded the national average, officials said.