Percentage of schools with a 5-star School Climate rating increases

As part of the CCRPI reports, the Georgia Department of Education also released the 2017 School Climate Star Ratings for local schools. This rating is provided as an informational tool for schools, parents, and communities. While it is reported alongside the CCRPI, it is not included in the calculation that produces school and district CCRPI scores. 

A visualization of the 2017 School Climate Star Rating is available through Georgia Insights, an initiative of the GaDOE aimed at improving the clarity and accessibility of district- and school-level data through public-friendly and easy-to-use dashboards.

School climate refers to the quality and character of school life -- the "culture" of a school. A sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and student learning, which are essential elements for academic success, career-skill improvement, and overall quality of life. The School Climate Star Rating assesses the climate of a school on a 1-5 scale using the following indicators: 

• Survey – a measure of student, teacher, and parent perceptions of a school’s climate
• Student Discipline – a measure of student discipline using a weighted suspension rate
• Safe and Substance-Free Learning Environment – school discipline incidents and student survey responses on use of illegal substances and the prevalence of violence, bullying, and unsafe incidents within a school
• Attendance – the average daily attendance of teachers, administrators, and staff members and the percentage of students with fewer than six unexcused absences

Each school in Georgia receives a 1-5 star rating, with five stars representing an excellent school climate, and one star representing a school climate most in need of improvement.
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In 2017, there was an increase of 4.2 percentage points in the number of schools earning the top (5-star) rating. In detail: 19.2 percent of schools earned a 5-star rating (excellent), 41 percent earned a 4-star rating (above average), 26.2 percent earned a 3-star rating (average), 8.7 percent earned a 2-star rating (below satisfactory), and 3 percent earned a 1-star rating (unsatisfactory). Two percent of schools did not receive a rating because they are virtual schools, which are not traditional brick-and-mortar schools.