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CountyPulse
Data updated April 2026 ← Back to Georgia Rankings

Georgia

Best Schools Counties in Georgia (2026)

Counties with top-performing public school districts.

Based on data from National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.

Top 5 Best Schools Counties

  1. Early County — Avg Composite Score: 94.7
  2. Greene County — Avg Composite Score: 92.2
  3. Taliaferro County — Avg Composite Score: 92.0
  4. Talbot County — Avg Composite Score: 91.0
  5. Clarke County — Avg Composite Score: 90.5
Best Schools varies dramatically across Georgia's 159 counties — from 94.7 in Early County to 69.8 in Long County. The state average is 81.7.

Early County leads the 2026 ranking at 94.7. The table below ranks all 159 counties, with links to each county's full data profile.

Full County Rankings

RankCountyAvg Composite ScorePer-Pupil Spending
#1Early County94.710.2
#2Greene County92.29.9
#3Taliaferro County92.07.2
#4Talbot County91.011.0
#5Clarke County90.59.5
#6Towns County90.39.8
#7Clay County89.59.9
#8Jefferson County88.810.6
#9Mitchell County88.58.7
#10Warren County88.311.1
#11Putnam County88.011.3
#12Treutlen County88.011.9
#13Taylor County87.510.2
#14Jenkins County87.311.1
#15Cook County87.311.7
#16Screven County87.012.9
#17Burke County86.811.7
#18Twiggs County86.710.3
#19Walker County86.49.7
#20Tattnall County86.412.1
#21Colquitt County86.410.5
#22Catoosa County86.48.7
#23Stewart County86.311.3
#24Rabun County86.311.4
#25Emanuel County86.211.6
#26Banks County86.011.0
#27Turner County86.010.2
#28Seminole County85.512.8
#29Irwin County85.310.8
#30Bacon County85.311.9
#31Oglethorpe County85.311.5
#32Whitfield County85.310.6
#33Rockdale County85.29.2
#34Madison County85.110.9
#35Baker County85.011.7
#36Grady County84.911.1
#37Lowndes County84.811.2
#38Ware County84.810.4
#39Johnson County84.311.4
#40Telfair County84.310.9
#41Sumter County84.012.5
#42Webster County84.09.8
#43Cobb County84.09.9
#44Fayette County83.810.7
#45Appling County83.811.5
#46Miller County83.712.3
#47Stephens County83.712.5
#48Barrow County83.512.3
#49Glascock County83.512.7
#50Cherokee County83.511.1
#51Fulton County83.49.3
#52Union County83.46.0
#53Hancock County83.311.7
#54Meriwether County83.310.0
#55Chatham County83.310.8
#56Crawford County83.311.4
#57Fannin County83.011.8
#58McIntosh County83.010.4
#59Toombs County83.011.8
#60McDuffie County82.811.3
#61Pickens County82.813.1
#62Floyd County82.610.5
#63Franklin County82.613.0
#64Richmond County82.310.4
#65Wayne County82.311.0
#66Habersham County82.211.1
#67Bryan County82.211.9
#68Gwinnett County82.15.7
#69Jackson County82.111.7
#70Atkinson County82.011.9
#71Morgan County82.013.9
#72Schley County82.014.2
#73Camden County81.913.2
#74Brantley County81.912.7
#75Oconee County81.812.4
#76Tift County81.811.9
#77Lumpkin County81.814.1
#78Calhoun County81.812.1
#79Thomas County81.812.8
#80Ben Hill County81.611.3
#81Glynn County81.612.0
#82Murray County81.58.5
#83Wilkinson County81.511.4
#84Elbert County81.412.5
#85Dooly County81.312.0
#86Effingham County81.314.0
#87Wilkes County81.312.3
#88Bulloch County81.210.9
#89Brooks County81.211.0
#90Dade County81.012.8
#91Polk County81.012.0
#92Wheeler County81.013.1
#93Hall County81.012.0
#94Troup County80.910.1
#95Chattooga County80.912.5
#96Coweta County80.910.6
#97Jones County80.913.6
#98Laurens County80.810.5
#99Upson County80.814.5
#100Montgomery County80.712.6
#101Peach County80.713.6
#102Paulding County80.612.2
#103Crisp County80.611.7
#104Gilmer County80.613.8
#105Pierce County80.614.0
#106DeKalb County80.510.2
#107Charlton County80.513.4
#108Heard County80.411.4
#109Baldwin County80.310.5
#110Lincoln County80.313.6
#111Bartow County80.112.1
#112Lanier County80.013.8
#113Washington County80.013.8
#114Monroe County79.814.4
#115Houston County79.613.3
#116Butts County79.613.8
#117Spalding County79.412.3
#118Douglas County79.311.8
#119Lee County79.313.2
#120Hart County79.214.3
#121Dougherty County79.011.9
#122Clinch County79.014.2
#123Quitman County79.012.4
#124Columbia County78.811.4
#125Coffee County78.813.6
#126White County78.713.1
#127Bibb County78.72.9
#128Dawson County78.414.3
#129Muscogee County78.411.6
#130Wilcox County78.313.1
#131Harris County78.313.3
#132Jeff Davis County78.312.1
#133Walton County78.214.3
#134Echols County78.015.2
#135Pulaski County78.014.4
#136Terrell County78.012.8
#137Clayton County77.911.7
#138Dodge County77.711.7
#139Jasper County77.513.1
#140Randolph County76.513.9
#141Bleckley County76.412.6
#142Haralson County76.012.7
#143Candler County75.815.3
#144Gordon County75.713.3
#145Newton County75.712.6
#146Forsyth County75.611.8
#147Decatur County75.613.3
#148Lamar County75.513.5
#149Marion County75.515.8
#150Chattahoochee County75.312.9
#151Macon County74.314.6
#152Carroll County74.013.7
#153Liberty County73.613.0
#154Pike County72.814.0
#155Evans County72.512.1
#156Berrien County72.214.0
#157Henry County71.810.3
#158Worth County71.814.6
#159Long County69.817.8

Methodology

Counties are ranked by avg composite score (higher is better). Data is sourced from National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Only counties with available data for this metric are included in the ranking. County names link to the full education data page for deeper analysis.

Looking for composite rankings across multiple metrics?

View Georgia Composite Rankings →