98 Cobb, Marietta Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

COBB COUNTY, GA — Several elementary and middle schools in Cobb County School District have been ranked among the best in Georgia, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Murdock Elementary School and Dodgen Middle School as the highest elementary and middle schools in the state among those in Cobb County, according to the new list. Murdock Elementary was ranked No. 12 in the state for elementary schools, while Dodgen Middle was ranked No. 5 in the state for middle schools.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Cobb County School District ranked compared with others in the state and district:

Elementary Schools

• Murdock Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 12
  • District ranking: No. 1
• Timber Ridge Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 17
  • District ranking: No. 2
• Mountain View Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 20
  • District ranking: No. 3
• Sope Creek Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 32
  • District ranking: No. 4
• Mount Bethel Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 33
  • District ranking: No. 5
• Tritt Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 36
  • District ranking: No. 6
• Shallowford Falls Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 53
  • District ranking: No. 7
• East Side Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 59
  • District ranking: No. 8
• Kemp Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 66
  • District ranking: No. 9
• Ford Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 122
  • District ranking: No. 10
• Garrison Mill Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 139
  • District ranking: No. 11
• Rocky Mount Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 152
  • District ranking: No. 12
• Due West Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 158
  • District ranking: No. 13
• Kincaid Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 159
  • District ranking: No. 14
• Addison Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 207
  • District ranking: No. 15
• Vaughan Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 217
  • District ranking: No. 16
• Bells Ferry Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 223
  • District ranking: No. 17
• Frey Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 243
  • District ranking: No. 18
• Pickett's Mill Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 254
  • District ranking: No. 19
• Davis Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 291
  • District ranking: No. 20
• Teasley Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 305
  • District ranking: No. 21
• Milford Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 310
  • District ranking: No. 22
• Baker Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 317
  • District ranking: No. 23
• Cheatham Hill Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 321
  • District ranking: No. 24
• Bullard Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 333
  • District ranking: No. 25
• Pitner Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 336
  • District ranking: No. 26
• King Springs Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 376
  • District ranking: No. 27
• Chalker Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 381
  • District ranking: No. 28
• Still Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 382
  • District ranking: No. 29
• Lewis Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 410
  • District ranking: No. 30
• Varner Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 495
  • District ranking: No. 31
• Eastvalley Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 515
  • District ranking: No. 32
• Argyle Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 518
  • District ranking: No. 33
• Nicholson Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 524
  • District ranking: No. 34
• Austell Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 531
  • District ranking: No. 35
• Big Shanty Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 559
  • District ranking: No. 36
• Clarkdale Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 573
  • District ranking: No. 37
• Nickajack Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 585
  • District ranking: No. 38
• Keheley Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 594
  • District ranking: No. 39
• Labelle Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 618
  • District ranking: No. 40
• Acworth Intermediate School
  • State ranking: No. 676
  • District ranking: No. 41
• Hendricks Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 694
  • District ranking: No. 42
• Clay Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 697
  • District ranking: No. 43
• Norton Park Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 698
  • District ranking: No. 44
• Smyrna Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 713
  • District ranking: No. 45
• Sedalia Park Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 717
  • District ranking: No. 46
• Green Acres Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 718
  • District ranking: No. 47
• Dowell Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 723
  • District ranking: No. 48
• Russell Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 740
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Fair Oaks Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 743
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Kennesaw Charter School
  • State ranking: No. 784
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Blackwell Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 785
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Compton Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 787
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Powder Springs Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 790
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Belmont Hills Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 801
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Sanders Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 843
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Hollydale Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 854
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Hayes Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 890
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Birney Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Brumby Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Bryant Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Harmony-Leland Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Mableton Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Powers Ferry Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65
• Riverside Intermediate School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 49-65

Middle Schools

• Dodgen Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 5
  • District ranking: No. 1
• Dickerson Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 6
  • District ranking: No. 2
• Hightower Trail Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 7
  • District ranking: No. 3
• Lost Mountain Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 18
  • District ranking: No. 4
• Simpson Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 26
  • District ranking: No. 5
• Mabry Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 34
  • District ranking: No. 6
• Lovinggood Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 41
  • District ranking: No. 7
• Durham Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 46
  • District ranking: No. 8
• McClure Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 57
  • District ranking: No. 9
• Palmer Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 84
  • District ranking: No. 10
• Barber Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 100
  • District ranking: No. 11
• Daniell Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 120
  • District ranking: No. 12
• Tapp Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 142
  • District ranking: No. 13
• McCleskey Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 151
  • District ranking: No. 14
• Pine Mountain Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 158
  • District ranking: No. 15
• Cooper Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 168
  • District ranking: No. 16
• Awtrey Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 182
  • District ranking: No. 17
• Smitha Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 232
  • District ranking: No. 18
• Griffin Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 239
  • District ranking: No. 19-25
• East Cobb Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 261
  • District ranking: No. 19-25
• Lindley Sixth Grade Academy
  • State ranking: No. 281
  • District ranking: No. 19-25
• Campbell Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 329
  • District ranking: No. 19-25
• Garrett Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 370
  • District ranking: No. 19-25
• Floyd Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 378
  • District ranking: No. 19-25
• Lindley Middle School
  • State ranking: No. 393
  • District ranking: No. 19-25

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Elementary and middle schools in Marietta City Schools were also ranked by U.S. News.

• Marietta Center for Advanced Academics
  • State ranking: No. 8
  • District ranking: No. 1
• West Side Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 220
  • District ranking: No. 2
• Dunleith Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 406
  • District ranking: No. 3
• Hickory Hills Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 681
  • District ranking: No. 4
• Sawyer Road Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 763
  • District ranking: No. 5
• A.L. Burruss Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 877
  • District ranking: Tied for No. 6-8
• Lockheed Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 6-8
• Park Street Elementary School
  • State ranking: No. 934-1245
  • District ranking: No. 6-8

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.

See also: Georgia Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News