In a move echoing its historical commitment to transparency and accountability in education, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation has published the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) overall scores for Georgia’s public schools.
Originally introduced in 1996, the “Report Card for Parents” initiative aimed to empower parents with comprehensive data regarding school performance. This initiative evolved over time to encompass academic metrics, student safety, school finances, and demographic data, providing parents with valuable insights for informed decision-making.
The Foundation ceased publishing its Report Card in 2010 as the State of Georgia began providing more comprehensive data, and changes in federal law established standardized testing and reporting requirements, allowing the Foundation to focus on other priorities.
However, due to recent disruptions in data reporting caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent waivers granted by the federal government, a veil now covers transparency in education. The Foundation realizes the critical importance of lifting this veil, and once again providing accessible, meaningful information to parents and communities.
To cut through the complexity of CCRPI scores, parents find it beneficial to have one straightforward score that clearly represents the relative significance of various component scores. Despite this, the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) sought and received a permanent waiver from the Biden administration of federal requirements to publish an “overall” metric.
However, by utilizing component scores published by the Georgia DOE in December 2023, along with historical data, the Foundation has calculated the overall CCRPI scores by grade cluster (elementary, middle and high) for the state, local districts and individual public schools.
Unfortunately, these overall scores reveal significant declines compared to 2019 despite increased per-pupil spending.
More details about these scores can be found here.