15 Forsyth County schools earn statewide academic awards, several platinum

Fifteen Forsyth County schools earned statewide academic awards for achievement and growth, with Alliance Academy for Innovation taking a Platinum Greatest Gains honor and Daves Creek Elementary, George W. Whitlow Elementary and Riverwatch Middle School receiving Gold.

The awards are part of Georgia’s Single Statewide Accountability System, which uses College and Career Ready Performance Index data from the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. Schools had to rank in at least the 93rd percentile on the three-year average CCRPI measure to qualify, and each category, Highest Performing and Greatest Gains, was divided into Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

That makes the recognition more than a ribbon for a trophy case. It points to sustained performance across multiple school years, and it gives parents a clearer way to read school quality: not just who posts a high score in one year, but who keeps students moving forward over time.

The statewide field was selective. Governor Brian Kemp and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement announced 213 Georgia public schools in 49 districts for the 2024 school awards on April 24, 2025. Against that backdrop, Forsyth’s 15 honored schools stand out as a strong showing for one county.

Still, the headline also raises a harder question about where excellence is concentrated. Forsyth County Schools says the district has the highest CCRPI score, the highest graduation rate at 96%, the highest SAT score, the highest ACT score and the highest financial efficiency rating, 5 out of 5 stars, among metro-Atlanta county systems and the 12 largest districts in Georgia. That suggests the honors are landing in a system that already operates at the top, rather than serving as proof that every campus is performing equally well.

Forsyth officials also pointed to the state’s 2024-25 literacy and math recognitions, with Georgia identifying 406 Literacy Leader schools and 479 Math Leader schools based on Georgia Milestones results. Superintendent Dr. Mitch Young said the recognition reflects teachers’ and staff members’ commitment to continued growth and achievement.

For families, the useful takeaway is not just that Forsyth schools won awards. It is that the county’s strongest campuses appear to be building on long-running academic advantage, and the question now is whether that level of growth can spread across more classrooms, more neighborhoods and more students.